'I needed a sign that we were meant to be!'

Author Marian Keyes tells us why her husband had to love her favourite place

-  Marian Keyes

This photo was taken in October 1994 in County Clare, Ireland. It was my first holiday with Tony, the man I went on to marry. I'd taken him there because it's the place I love most in the whole world. My mother is from Clare, all my childhood holidays were spent on the beach in Lahinch, swimming in the Atlantic, and I needed Tony to love it as much as I did.

Because if he didn't, well... was it a sign that we weren't meant to be? The relationship was new. We'd been together just a couple of months and although it felt solid and serious, I suppose I was looking for endorsement from the universe.

Tony is English, this was his first visit to Ireland and we based ourselves in the seaside town of Lahinch. The photo was taken on the Cliffs of Moher, a UNESCO Global Geopark. You can see how windy it is on the cliff edge, but back on ground level the days were sunny and mild.

That's the thing about Ireland: you can never predict the weather. You have as good a chance of getting gorgeous, bright days in February or November as much as July.

These days Lahinch is a busy surfing town all year round, but 30 years ago, it fell quiet the minute August ended.