Valentines

#LoveDCU returns for Valentine's 2021!

Back by popular demand - the #LoveDCU Alumni Couples competition!

2020 saw our Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty as the most romantic faculty in DCU. However, 2021 saw the DCU Business School take the title, closely followed by the Science and Health Faculty!

We enjoyed sharing the memories of our graduate couples on our social media for our Valentines competition.

Read the stories of some of our #LoveDCU couples below!

 

Story

Cillian Byrne (BEng Mechantronic Engineering, 2016) & Issabele Pulcherio (Nursing, 2016)

“The year was 2014, I was in my fourth year of Mechatronic Engineering and was part of the Archery Club at DCU. She was an exchange student from Brazil studying nursing and had joined the Archery Club. It all started with small talks and group gatherings together with the club and we finally went on our first date at the zoo, followed by archery practice in the evening. It went so well that we nearly forgot to exchange numbers that day, we had only talked on Facebook beforehand!

(cont.) She had to go back home to be able to graduate, which was our hardest challenge as a couple: long distance relationship. I graduated in 2016 and so did she back home, with our schedules matching we were able to meet again and she came for my graduation ceremony at the Helix. Life still wasn't easy after graduation, so in search of jobs to further our careers once more we said goodbye and went back to a long distance relationship for 2 more years. Happily, in 2019 we closed the distance and she moved back to Ireland. In 2020, we started living together in our apartment, which is still very close to DCU. During these hard times we are able to go for short walks around Albert Park and even get some coffee at Nubar to reminisce of how lucky we are to have met each other and still be going so strong after 6 years.”

 

Story

Saoirse Treacy (BSc Analytical Science, 2017) & Cormac Hughes (Science Education, 2017)

“It was in our second year of college, at the Science and Health Ball. I was weaving through the dancefloor trying to find my friends when I bumped into Cormac. We did that awkward side step to let the other pass, but kept stepping in the same direction as each other! We both just started laughing and Cormac took me by the hand, spun me around and started dancing with me. It was coming into exam season, so most of our first dates were in the library canteen on study breaks (with our nosy friends watching us from a distance of course!). That was almost 6 years ago now, and he still can't get rid of me!”

Story

Hananh Mcilwaine (Athletic Therapy & Training, 2017) & Conor Mcilwaine (Athletic Therapy & Training, 2017)

“Conor started ATT in DCU in 2012. I started teaching in St Pats in 2012 - we didn’t meet that year. I changed to ATT in 2013. That year, Conor took a year out to cycle abroad. When he returned in 2014, we were both in second year ATT. I remember seeing him sitting down in a141 and thought, a new guy, I'll introduce myself. Being very forthcoming, I sat right beside him and struck up conversation. He was delighted someone chatted to him, as he new nobody in the class and was the new ATT- er on the block. The friendship blossomed from there. We did all our group projects together, studied together and frequented many inner city Dublin coffee spots - just to get away from the books! Being from opposite ends of the country, we travelled hours to see each other during the summer. Sometimes 10 hr round trips on a bus, just for a few hrs together. We had it bad!! It took him until 4th year to ask me out!! He proposed to me in 2018 and we got married 4 months later. We now have a little girl who is almost 2. That's our DCU love story! 😍”

Story

Conall O Breachain (St. Patrick's College, 2002) & Annie Ó Breacháin (St. Patrick's College, 2002)

“Annie and I met on the St Patrick's campus in the Summer of 2000. Annie was tutoring classmates in the quad and I fell madly, deeply and forever in love. We became inseparable - walking the corridors of the college hand in hand, canoodling (as a lecturer years later told me!) at the back of lecture theatres, and chatting endlessly over lunch in the college canteen. I can still feel the butterflies when we'd be rushing to meet each other after a class.

We married ten years later. This is our 20th Valentine's Day together. Our first was when we were in second year, in 2001. We were childhood sweethearts, now life-long soul mates. We have two children, Mac and Poppy, and are we are back walking the corridors of the St Patrick's campus hand in hand - we both lecture now in DCU. I still feel the butterflies when we rush to meet each other after a class.”

 

Story

Aoife Mullen (Journalism, 2014) & Nathan Wheeler (Law, 2014)

“I was News Editor of The College View and a mutual friend introduced me to Nathan when I was looking for someone to talk to for a story - we met in the Omni for a coffee and now that mutual friend is our best man when we get married later this year!”

Story

Aoife Donnelly (Science Education, 2020) & Seni Reilly Ashiru (Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science)

“Although we weren’t in the same course, we both studied chemistry so a lot of our modules overlapped! When I was in third year and he was in second year (2018/19) I spotted him in a few of my modules. I have to say he was the only reason I attended majority of my lectures lol! One year later, many more organic, inorganic... (the list goes on) modules and in my final year, we both happened to be in Nubar. I’m not sure if it was the ‘I’m in final year attitude’ that gave me the confidence to go have a chat, very unlike me!! We went on a date the following week and the rest is history 🥰 Turns out he was crushing on me in all those lectures also- so, girls this is your sign, make that first move!! I guess you could say there was instant ‘chemistry’!”

You can read more of our #LoveDCU stories on our social media - Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.