Evil wife killer Dermot McArdle has tied the knot for a second time at a ceremony.
There were tense scenes outside the church on Friday as pals of the convicted killer confronted photographers shortly after McArdle said: “Till death do us part.”
McArdle, 53, was found guilty of the manslaughter of his first wife Kelly Ann Corcoran, 29, who fell from a hotel balcony in February 2000.
But on Friday the dad-of-four walked down the aisle with his young bride, who is the mother of his two youngest children, at St Fursey’s Church in Dundalk.
The pair celebrated their nuptials at the nearby Fairways Hotel, just five minutes from the church in Co Louth.
A source told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “His bride has never been married before so she wanted a church wedding with the white dress.
“They tried to keep the whole thing hush hush, because he didn’t want it getting out in the media.
“It was all planned quietly, but she was delighted as she’s been looking forward to marrying him. There is a bit of an age gap between them.”
After a lengthy legal battle McArdle was extradited to Madrid and jailed in 2011 in Marbella, Spain.
Spanish police fought for eight years to secure his conviction for manslaughter, and he was given a two-year sentence behind bars.
Kelly Ann died from injuries a day after falling from the five-star Melia Don Pepe Hotel in Marbella where the couple were staying with their sons.
Prosecutors claimed McArdle pushed her off the edge after a row.
The court also heard McArdle had been abusive towards his wife – but this was denied by McArdle’s sister.
McArdle played the part of a devastated young husband and claimed his wife fell in a freak accident.
During his high-profile trial in Spain, McArdle called one of his sons as a defence witness.
The court heard as an infant his son had told a relative his dad had “pushed” his mum.
Kelly Ann’s brother-in-law, Peter Moran, gave evidence that then three-year-old Mark told him on his return to Dundalk: “Daddy bold, Daddy pushed Mammy.”
McArdle had claimed Kelly Ann saw her son on the balcony and went to grab him before tripping and falling over the railing.
He said he grabbed her arm but was unable to hold her and said in his evidence “We are Catholics and we would not lie.”
Spanish police said Mrs McArdle could not have died in the way her husband claimed after they staged a reconstruction.
McArdle was found guilty of killing his wife and sentenced to two years in prison.
He was also ordered to pay €220,000 in compensation to his sons and ex in-laws.
