Dan & Jeanne

Dan McAuley is a soul DJ and lead singer with Cloud Castle Lake, a Dublin based band who have been attracting some serious plaudits for quite some time. Jeanne Sutton is one of the newest IMAGE Daily recruits and one of the hive minds behind the Women’s Museum of Ireland, an extra-curricular that earned her a place on a list of 53 Irish Women to Watch in 2014.

Dan and Jeanne are on the brink of celebrating their second year anniversary so we caught up with these two young lovers in Drumcondra between those awful storms.

It becomes apparent quite early on that Jeanne and Dan are slight opposites. When asked about the couple’s favourite song – he’s a musician after all – Dan replies without skipping a beat, “Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins.”?Jeanne looks confused. “I’m not that good at music… You did compose a waking up Jeanne song for when I had a gruesome commute last year… that was lovely.”

?Dan asked me out on April Fool’s Day and was four hours late for our first date. Which looking back was rather sensible as we missed the lunch time rush.? Jeanne explains.

?You can’t still be angry about that,? says Dan.

Jeanne continues, ?But I got so distracted on our second date I ended up forgetting my class photo was being taken that day. That same day Dan had brought me tickets for The Dead in the IFI. I was reading Dubliners at the time. It was on weeks from then so I thought he was pretty confident. I went with it.?

Jeanne and Dan met while she was in her final year of college. Acquaintances at first, Jeanne first began liking Dan when he told her the story of his grandfather and his German mistress.

?He was a pilot who ended his days in Beirut and while he was in Berlin you could go to clubs and get your photograph taken with tiger cubs and Dan was describing one such photo of his grandfather whom he never knew. Dan was over for tea in my apartment in Trinity that evening. He and my flatmate had found a way to get up on the roof of one of the buildings. I then decided I didn’t need to write my essay anymore and followed him up onto the roof. Which was a pretty big deal for me because I hate heights.?

And when did things click for Dan?

?You were telling a story about someone we both knew ??

?I can’t believe you fell for my bitchiness!? Jean interjects, not as indignant as her words let on.

?It was funny.? Dan says.

Asked about their upcoming anniversary celebrations Jeanne says, ?Dan is going to order pizza with olives as a topping and I’ll end up scraping them off my slices.?

Compromise starts young, kids.

 

Photography by Ailbhe O’Donnell