You're my Favorite

He was a poet, she was a scientist ... can I make it any more obvious? In September 2017, two New Englanders found themselves in Galway, Ireland at exactly the same time. Beau was visiting friends after finishing an artist-in-residency program at the Burren College of Art and Katie had just moved to Ireland to begin her 4-year PhD program. After a fated message from a mutual friend, the two agreed to meet up for a pint. Little did they know, their rendezvous was to take place right in the middle of the Galway International Oyster Festival Parade. Beau describes that first meeting best in one of his poems: “Of course, that misted hair would unfold down her shoulders; wild twisted staircase she is. Struck me weak in the guts of a parade through town. How humbled the band must have been to warm her shadow in the rain. How alone that crowd must have felt around us. Her eyes reached from behind that mess of rusted locks, caught me dumbstruck with no key. My heart is now an apple in my throat. She took a bite and my knees buckled the way you unawaredly do when the taxi picks you up to take you home” What was supposed to be “a pint” turned into hours of wandering the cobblestoned streets, ducking in and out of pubs, and sharing stories and poems. Those hours turned into days and, after a week of pretending their time together in Galway would never come to an end, it was time for Beau to return to the United States. However, though they had only known each other a week and all typical dating conventions warned against it, Katie and Beau knew that this fated encounter was much bigger than a casual fling. They decided to continue their courtship long-distance, which turned out to be one of the best decisions either had ever made! Nine months after that first chance encounter, Beau moved to Ireland to join Katie and the rest is history.