Our Story

The couple met properly in 2013 at the then, National University of Ireland, Galway or NUIG. Jana was studying law, while Richard was completing a masters in software engineering. This was followed by “Running Buddies”, “Lunch Buddies”… “Life Buddies” and now also “Parent Buddies”.

Jana’s preferred story starts in around 2010, where the couple met through Jana’s older sister, Raquel, whom Richard was friends with. Raquel was about to move to Seattle and, while hanging out with the two, she thought she’d lost a lot of cash, which perhaps made the meeting more memorable. It was stashed in the back of her handbag (phew!).

A few years later, while Richard was on a night out with college friends in Kelly’s Bar (now Seven), Jana came up and introduced herself again. The next shared trauma took place through many overlapping study sessions at the “reading room” in NUIG, especially around exam time that year, with plenty of laughs, study breaks and orange & almond chocolate bars from Tescos across the road.

So study buddies became also lunch buddies.

Jana spent that summer visiting Raquel, now in Hawaii, on a J1 visa. Upon her return lunch buddies realised they live about 15 minutes apart, which made walks from college and nights out much more fun. Well, Richard chivalrously walked Jana home after his nights out which coincided with her finishing work at Carbon nightclub.

Somewhere along the way they discovered a shared joy for running, so at 6:30 am Richard would meet Jana outside her estate for a pre-college jog.

So, lunch buddies became also running buddies.

Many stubborn “we’re just friends” later, in 2016, the couple shared a romantic kiss during a Carbon nightclub staff party behind groomsman John Reilly’s head.

The couple were initially due to get married on Friday, 13 June (they should have figured!), but instead married officially in a small civil ceremony in March 2025, with baby Conor on the way. So study, lunch, running, … buddies are now life and parent buddies. Final state achieved! 

We are delighted to welcome you all to celebrate our love, life and friendships together.