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Romantic Roscrea Couple Win Top TV Competition

Thursday, 16 February 2012

There are not too many couples who can claim to have met when they were just babes in arms, eventually met again as teenagers and are now seventeen years happily married, but that tale of true love has won a Roscrea couple a dream holiday to Turkey after they were chosen as winners of a TV3 competition that asked couples from all over Ireland to tell their own personal love story.
Elaine and Ger Grimes, who live in Parkmore, Roscrea had their very own Mills and Boon tale featured on TV AM on Valentine's Day and their story stole the hearts of hundreds of viewers.
Elaine (nee O'Halloran) entered the competition a couple of weeks ago when she submitted a poem recounting the story of how she met Ger, their courtship, when they married and about having their beautiful daughter Lauren. Early last week TV3 contacted Elaine, saying that they would like to come to her home, meet herself and Ger, and let them tell their story. The couple was told that they had reached the final five from hundreds of entries and that the winner would be announced on Valentine's morning.
Early on Tuesday morning Elaine got the call she was hoping for from TV3 - she had won the competition and their story would be the one to feature on the Valentine's programme! Frantic calls were made to family and friends telling them all to tune in and TV viewers all over the county were treated to a true love story from this very special couple.
They told viewers how they had met when Elaine was just eight months old and Ger was a three years old toddler. Their mothers would gather in a friend's house in the morning for tea and Ger would entertain Elaine by handing her her toys, which she'd promptly throw back at him! They were parted for a number of years when Elaine's family moved to a different part of Roscrea, but fate stepped in and the couple met again at a disco in the 80's when true love began to blossom. Some years later wedding bells rang out at Camblin Church in Roscrea as the young lovers became husband and wife, but a difficult time lay ahead of them as they were told that they might never have children.
But fate stepped in again and, following nine failed attempts at IVF, Elaine became pregnant and Lauren came into the world six years ago, completing their happiness and making their world complete.
Their story of true love even brought a tear to the TV AM presenters eye on Tuesday morning and the couple was announced as winners of the top prize, which includes a holiday to Turkey to a private Villa in Kusadasi, their own butler and chef for a candlelight dinner, endless sightseeing trips and spa treatments. But, while the trip is a romantic break for two, the couple immediately made arrangements to bring Lauren along too!
Congratulations to Elaine, Ger and Lauren and we all hope you have the holiday of a lifetime in Turkey!
The following is Elain'es poem, which stole the hearts of the TV3 judges;
We were just babes when first we met
Scarce on hair and no teeth yet
Out on the green we used to play
Not knowing that as friends we'd stay

 Then I moved across the town
Your toothless face was all a frown
With one last gurgle we were parted
But really we had only started

 Some years later we again did meet
That same big smile but now with teeth
Hair now on that shiny head
I vowed some day this man I'd wed

 My parents though they went quite mad
They thought you were a crazy lad
Your tatooed arms and long blonde hair
Nearly drove my mother spare

 So in secret we'd meet at night
You'd hold my hand so very tight
Around each corner we'd glance in fear
In case my parents would be near

 Then came the day you called for tea
To meet at last my family
All dressed up you looked so grand
As you shook my dad's reluctant hand

 From then on you called every night
We both felt our love was so right
We'd often go on moonlit walks
Or even just sit in and talk

 July the fouth we made a date
Our local church to seal our fate
We vowed to love for all our life
As we became man and wife

 And now we're in our seventeeth year
With a beautiful daughter we hold so dear
Time is passing and it won't be long
Till teeth and hair once more are gone

 So thank you for the times we've had
The memories more good than bad
Our life together I hold so dear
My baby friend of yesteryear

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