Eileen and Jack Cotter from Ballynoe are becoming familiar faces on our TV screens as they featured on the ‘Today Show’ with Maura and Daithi on Valentines Day.
This is their second time on the ‘Today Show’ in recent months as they were interviewed by Maura and Dáithí back in November ahead of the airing of the RTE programme ‘Golden: Our Fifty Years of Marriage’ which they also took part in.
‘Golden: Our Fifty Years of Marriage’ was a once off programme which was watched by thousands of viewers across Ireland.
The programme featured Irish couples who had been married for fifty years and each couple told their love story and gave reasons why they felt their love had lasted for half a century.
Eileen and Jack were put forward for the show by their son Thomas unbeknownst to them and they got a bit of a shock when he phoned them to say that RTE wanted to come down to their home in Ballynoe to interview them.
Nevertheless, they agreed to take part in the show and really enjoyed the whole experience.
The director and editor Sally Roden and researcher Anita Ward, came down to the Cotter home with their cameramen and spent the whole day filming the entertainment pair.
“They were with us from 10am in the morning until quarter past seven that evening,” Eileen told The Avondhu this week.
Neither Eileen nor Jack are interested in the limelight and so this experience was something new to them both.
However, their three appearances on the television in recent months have proven that they aren’t fazed by the cameras and both Eileen and Jack come across very naturally on screen.
Both spoke openly and honestly on ‘Golden’ about their humble beginnings and the ups and downs of their life journey together.
Eileen said that before the cameras arrived to film them they decided that they would just be themselves and remain as ordinary as if it were any other day.
“I said to Jack: “don’t even pretend the cameras are here. Just stay natural,” Eileen told The Avondhu.
The programme went down a storm with viewers and Eileen and Jack came across brilliantly. Having been selected to appear on the ‘Today Show’ back in November to promote the ‘Golden’ programme and having entertained viewers with their Mr and Mrs quiz, it was no wonder that they found themselves back with Maura and Dáithí two weeks ago for the Valentine special.
“We had great craic on the day,” said Eileen “and the other couples were very nice.”
The three couples had to complete a series of fun Valentine challenges including decorating a Valentines cake and playing a trivia quiz.
The couple with the most points received an overnight stay in the Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore while the other two couples got a meal voucher.
“The icing of the cake wasn’t too bad,” said Eileen. She gave the job of piping to Jack as she said he has a steadier hand than her, while she added the hundreds and thousands, chocolate love hearts and paper decorations.
Although, Eileen and Jack weren’t the winners on the day, they had a great time back in RTE studios in Fr Matthew Street in Cork. Who knows when we’ll see this local couple back on our screen again!
