Thomas Lyons Athy, Co. Kildare and Rathgormack, Co. Waterford are two areas that may not have much in common, but they share a love of agriculture. This is where Amy Coyle and Brian Greene, two people who are passionate about farming, met each other. After meeting in Australia in 2016, they reconnected in Kilkenny in 2017 and have been inseparable ever since.
Both Amy and Brian come from farming backgrounds. Amy grew up on a livestock and tillage mixed farm, while Brian’s family has been dairy farming for generations. They both helped out on their family farms from a young age and by the time they were 16, they were driving tractors for the summer season. Amy worked with her dad at home, while Brian worked at home and for a local contractor, Blanchfields.
Amy works in marketing for DeLaval, a company that provides solutions for dairy farmers. She has been with the company for over five years, while Brian has been farming at home in partnership with his parents for the past four years. They milk a herd of 180 cows all year round. The couple’s love of farming is evident in everything they do, including their wedding.
The wedding took place on Friday, January 6, 2023, with the ceremony in St. Michael’s Church, Athy. Most of their family and friends work in agriculture, so it was a nice quiet time of the year for everyone. They had 170 guests on the day. Amy designed the invitations herself and used the phrase “Let’s party ’til the cows come home” to reflect their agri-theme.
The florist, Elderwood’s Floristry, was amazing. Once Amy mentioned that she was marrying a dairy farmer, Dee had milk churns booked in for them. They also incorporated some Australian flowers since it was where they first met. The main agri-moment of the day was all down to Amy’s dad and brother, who own GF Coyle Tractors and Farm Machinery. Both Amy and Brian wanted to get some photos that were agri-themed with the bridal party. The week of the wedding, George gave them the pick of tractors for photos and parked them up where they wanted them.
After the church, they called to the yard en route to Kilkea for some champagne and photos. It was a quick dash in and out but one of the best moments of the day. They brought their dog Mini up from Waterford for the day and got a photo with her in the farmyard too. Their photographer was Elaine Barker. Kilkea Castle was the venue and it was literally two minutes down the road from home. They named all the tables after breeds of cows and cattle. They got great feedback from their friends and family on everything.
All the tractors featured in the photos are the stock of GF Coyle. Brian has always had a Massey at home and Amy has always had New Hollands, so they both needed to feature. The JCB Fast track was just an unreal tractor and being yellow, it was nice to mix up the colours in the photos too. Someone actually bought the JCB a day or two before the wedding and the lads had to postpone delivery until after the wedding.
Amy’s enthusiasm for farming is catching, as after her hen party, the revellers returned to Rathgormack and made it up on time the following morning to lend a hand with milking. The couple’s initial encounter was in Australia in 2016. They met one night through mutual friends in an Irish bar in Perth. Amy went to Australia with her friend Julia, later her bridesmaid. They worked and travelled around Australia for the year. Brian and his friends had gone to New Zealand where they worked for an agricultural contractor for a few months, then worked and travelled in Australia.
Both of them were back home for a year when they coincidentally met again at Langtons in Kilkenny on St. Stephen’s night in 2017. They just hit it off and have been together since. Brian was doing a dairy herd management course at the time. Out of all the farms Amy covers for DeLaval Ireland and UK, the first DeLaval open farm day she worked on was the farm Brian was working on. Since then, Brian has taught her how to milk and she’s sold him a new DeLaval parlour, so milking conditions have greatly improved. They both really enjoy working together on the farm and they really want to progress and make the most of it in the future.
Amy and Brian’s agri-themed wedding celebrations ran well into the early hours, reflecting their love of farming and each other. The couple’s passion for agriculture is evident in everything they do, from their work to their wedding. Their love story is a testament to the power of fate, and how sometimes, the stars align in the most unexpected ways.
