Romance in full blossom

IN the end, it was the Rose of Tralee that changed Mary Slattery's opinion of her husband Frank. While he was very keen on her and had been pursuing her for a while, she wasn't that fussed about him at all, until she saw the former chief escort walking down the street with a Rose on his arm.

"Maybe that's when I woke up," she says, laughing. "The thing was that I was interested in someone else at the time, but looking back, I definitely made the right choice when I married Frank."

They had regularly seen each other out and about, particularly in the Mount Brandon Hotel, which was the epicentre of the social scene in Tralee in the Seventies. "I fancied her because she looked very sexy and was very French-looking with tight hair," says Frank. "She was snooty, though, and I got nowhere for a long time, but I was persistent. Mary always says that persistence is my strong point."

The petite and funny Mary recalls how she always wore such high shoes that the genial Frank had no idea of what height she really was. Then 22, she was working in banking, and had transferred from Dublin back to her home in Kerry, where she was initially employed as relief staff for various branches. As it involved travelling, her father decided to buy her a car, and her parents brought her to look at Chrysler cars in Daly's garage in Killarney, where Frank was working.

"The minute I saw him, my head went down, and I said to my father that I didn't like the cars," she says. "When we came out, my mother said, 'Mary, how come you were so rude to that man?'"

So it came as a surprise to her parents when a year later,

Mary came home and announced that she was engaged to "that man".

As Frank had continued to pursue Mary, she relented and agreed to go out on a date with him. Feeling that she was a bit "cocky," he left it for a few weeks to arrange a second date, to give her time to "cool off". Then she saw him with the Rose, and realised that she was interested after all.

Frank got down on bended knee and proposed a while after that, and Mary accepted. She had her heart set on having a ring made that was a replica of a dress ring from Woolworths that she owned, so it was decided that they wouldn't say anything until the ring was made, after which Frank would ask her parents for permission to marry her. However, when she went to collect the ring, her best friend Margaret caught her trying it on, and the cat was royally out of the bag. Hence her announcement to her bemused parents that she was engaged to "that man". She knew that her mum, a staunch Clare woman, would be pleased however, because former army officer Frank is from Liscannor.

Frank and Mary were married in 1977, and had their first big row in Paris because Frank forgot his driving licence. This left Mary in charge of their hire car, and having to deal with a left-hand drive and driving on the wrong side of the road caused her to almost declare that the marriage was over before it had even begun.

They weathered that storm, and are now married 34 years, with three children Claire, 30, Kate, 29, and Peter, 27. The girls both live and work in Cork, while Peter is off in Australia, "having his fling", according to his amused mother.

Over the years, Frank and Mary have owned and run several businesses, including an Opel dealership, and a bar and restaurant called Slatt's. Frank's ultimate dream was to have a country house and restaurant, which came true when he and Mary bought the beautiful Carrig Country House and Restaurant on Caragh Lake in 1996.

Originally built circa 1850 as a hunting lodge, its previous owners include Lady Cuffe, Lord Brockett Senior, Sir Aubrey Metcalf and Senator Arthur Rose Vincent. Situated four miles outside Killorglin on the Ring of Kerry, it is set in some of the most breathtaking and unspoilt scenery in the country. Its four acres of gardens sweep down to its own jetty on the lake, offering spectacular views across still waters to the wildness of the MacGillycuddy Reeks.

Frank and Mary set about renovating and meticulously decorating the beautiful Victorian residence, and picked up furniture and accessories on their travels all over the world. For example, the bed in the presidential suite was discovered in India, when they stayed with Bibi Baskin in Kerala. They now have 17 bedrooms and a 50-seater restaurant, and pride themselves on offering guests a very welcoming, personalised service, as well as adventure and pampering. As a testament to their excellence, they have been rated as four-star, and are highly recommended by Ireland's Blue Book and Lucinda O'Sullivan's Little Black Book.

Running the business together from March to November means that they are "joined at the hip," says Frank, while Mary says that she understands her husband far better than she did in her 30s and 40s.

"I'm not as fiery as I was," she smiles. "Frank is very caring and treats me like a princess. He's a real perfectionist and is brilliant with customers. I find that my own personality has developed so much since we started the business, as I'd run away from people when I was younger. It has changed my life."

Frank says that while neither is afraid to argue and they can have a "good blow-out" every now and again, he and Mary never stop talking and always know what the other is thinking.

"Mary is very brave and resilient," he says, "I listen to her opinions because I think she's quite wise. She can come across as being tough, but she has a heart of gold and is very soft behind it all."