Mr. and Mrs. Brian Thomson Tara Rose Keenan, daughter of Mr. Jerome S. Keenan and Mrs. Maura R. Tishler, formerly of Garden City, was married to Dr. Brian Lindsay Thomson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Thomson of Bethpage, on July 25, 2005 at Belle Isle Castle in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.

The ceremony was held in the castle garden, adjacent to beautiful Lough Erne. The couple was given in marriage to both sets of parents and Helen Madden presided. The bride wore an Oleg Cassini gown of Ivory candlelight satin with a cathedral train. The Bodice and train were embroidered with a fleur-de-leis design trimmed with seed pearls. Her chapel length veil fell from a matching tiara. She carried a cascading bouquet of white roses and ivy. Following a family tradition, Tara carried her grandmother’s wedding purse of Ivory satin and pearls.

Kate Blackwell of Washington, D.C. served as Maid-of-Honor. The Bride’s sisters, Patricia Sharp and Kathleen Yoo of Garden City, and Maura Slavens of El Segundo, California, were bridal attendants. They were dressed in matching burgundy chiffon tea length dresses and wore original vintage necklaces given to them as a gift from the bride. Miss Jessica Faith Yoo, niece of the bride, was the flower girl.

The groom and his groomsmen wore traditional Scottish kilts, the groom’s being the family tartan. George Gerrish served as best man. Luis Rospigliosi, Daniel Bach and Enrico Terrinoni were ushers. Master Jackson Taylor Slavens, nephew of the bride, escorted the flower girl. Readings were done by James Patrick Burnside and Heather McHugh, and a musical selection was performed by Jennifer and Jillian Yoo.

Following the ceremony, a formal dinner was held in the castle’s banquet hall, followed by a celebration of song and dance in the Drawing Room. The traditional Irish music was performed by Liam Kelly and his band, the Northsiders. A number of guests performed original pieces, as requested by the bride and groom. The previous evening the groom’s parents hosted a rehearsal dinner for all attendees in the city of Enniskillen. For friends and family who were unable to travel to Ireland, a garden reception was held on August 13, 2005 at the summer home of the bride’s father in Hampton Bays, New York.

The bride is a 1994 graduate of Garden City High School and received her bachelor and master’s degrees at New York University. She taught in the English Department at Garden City High School for three years and recently completed her PhD, in Modern European History at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Dr. Thomson is a 1995 graduate of Bethpage High School and received his B.A. and master’s degree at New York University. He also completed his Ph.D, in English Literature at University College Dublin.

After living in Ireland for four years, the couple have returned to the United States to reside in Bethpage.