Great Bake Off leads to wedding day at Clonabreany

One of the finalists in ‘The Great Irish Bake Off’ which was filmed in Clonabreany House, Crossakiel, was so enamoured with the north Meath venue that he is to have his wedding ceremony there.
Will De Korte, (29) a data manager from Limerick, will marry Joanne Constantine at Clonabreany next May. He reached the final of the TV3 amateur baker competition last week, where he competed against Maryanne Dalton, a lab manager and lecturer at NUI Maynooth, and the eventual winner, Stephen Chisholm, a business and economics student from Belfast.
The series, judged by Biddy White Lennon and Paul Kelly, was filmed at Clonabreany in May and began airing in September.
“The producers were looking for somewhere that replicated the country house and marquee set-up of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ explained Jane Shakleton of Clonabreany. “So we were delighted to accommodate them when we gotthe call.”
The series, presented by Anna Nolan, ran over seven weeks, with 12 original contestants whittled down to last week’s three.
Jane Shackleton is now busy preparing for Clonabreany’s inaugural Christmas Ball, which takes place on 30th November, which she says offers an ideal Christmas party opportunity.
“The evening begins with a Prosecco and canapé reception and music in the foyer played by a local harpist, Deirdre Caulfield,” Jane says. “The grande marquee hosts a five-course festive banquet meal, with entertainment provided by trio Manila Strings. Later, music is provided by Radio Shack, followed by a disco.”