by Louise McCarthy

WEDDING PLANS were scuppered when a fire hit one of Wexford’s leading vegetable growers at The Moyne.

Enniscorthy fire services spent over ten hours battling a fire at a premises owned by Jim and Margo Kehoe, one of the county’s leading vegetable suppliers. The fire started the evening before the wedding of their daughter Mairead Kehoe to Brian Murphy. The couple were  in the process of carrying out last minute plans for their marquee wedding, close to Mairead’s homeplace, when news of the fire emerged.

The fire started at a hay barn and spread to a mobile home and nearby outhouses. Because there was straw and hay involved, fire services had to exercise extreme caution by taking out each bale individually. The fire was reported at 4p.m on Friday last, while fire services did not leave The Moyne until 1.48a.m.

Speaking to The Echo, Margo Kehoe said how friends and relatives rallied around to help ensure that the wedding went ahead the following day as planned at St Aidan’s Cathedral.

Fortunately no-one was injured in the fire but it is estimated that over 100 straw bales were ruined while extensive damage was caused to adjoining buildings. The straw bales were going to be used as mulch for assisting the vegetables to grow.

Ms Kehoe said: “It was all hands on deck to make sure that the wedding went ahead. The fire hit us at our busiest time of the season. We are at the height of the season at the moment but the area is used mainly as storage. None of the vegetables were effected in the fire. Nobody was hurt, it was just an inconvenience.”