{"id":671592,"date":"2026-11-01T08:46:23","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T08:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/671592\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T08:46:23","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T08:46:23","slug":"how-they-met-tj-reid-sent-photos-of-cows-to-niamh-de-brun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/671592\/","title":{"rendered":"How They Met: TJ Reid sent photos of cows to Niamh de Br\u00fan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kilkenny All-Star TJ Reid is hanging up his boots after 20 seasons, with the sportsman saying he’s so thankful for his family’s support over the years. <\/p>\n

As he faces this big life change, nobody could be prouder than his wife Niamh de Br\u00fan, whom he married at a lavish wedding at Adare Manor in November 2021<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With the couple now getting ready for life after retirement, what do we know about the couple’s life together?<\/p>\n

How they met<\/p>\n

\"KilkennyKilkenny hurling star TJ Reid and his family. Pic: Niamh de Brun \/ Instagram<\/p>\n

Speaking previously to EVOKE<\/a>, Niamh recounted the amusing story of how she and TJ got together. Laughing, she recalled how the athlete ‘kept plaguing [her]’ on social media<\/a> saying: ‘He was sending me Snapchats of cows.’<\/p>\n

‘It was really funny,’ the influencer enthused about his a-moo-sing snaps, before explaining the circumstances of their first date. ‘I had a wedding the next day, and I was just after getting a spray tan, and I was only going on the date because he kept plaguing me.’<\/p>\n

‘He’s a farmer, so he was sending me Snapchats of cows, and I was like “who in God’s name is this guy?”,’ she said. ‘So eventually I was like, “I’ll just go on a date with him”, and that’ll be that and he’ll leave me alone.’<\/p>\n

\"NiamhNiamh de Br\u00fan and TJ Reid. Pic: Niamh de Br\u00fan Instagram <\/p>\n

As she was stepping out in a less glamorous way than he was used to seeing her online, Niamh imagined TJ was thinking: ‘Who is this one?’<\/p>\n

‘I was in my shorts and my flip-flops with my hair in a bun on my head, and he’d only ever seen photos of me on Instagram,’ she recalled. ‘So we went on a date, and I was working in Cork at the time, so we just started meeting halfway in Cobh, well actually, I tricked him saying halfway was Cobh, it really wasn’t, Cobh is in Cork, and I was living in Cork, and he drove down from Kilkenny every time.’<\/p>\n

Tying the knot<\/p>\n

TJ’s long commutes to Niamh paid off as the lovebirds went on to say ‘I do’ in November 2021. The couple celebrated their nuptials<\/a> with a black-tie bash at Adare Manor, Co. Limerick.<\/p>\n

Niamh and TJ were forced to postpone their big day not once, but twice, so it’s no surprise they spared no expense for the lavish affair.<\/p>\n

Their family<\/p>\n

\"TJTJ Reid and Niamh de Br\u00fan with their daughter Harper. Pic: Instagram<\/p>\n

Niamh and TJ welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Harper, to the world in November 2022, one year after their wedding.<\/p>\n

Harper was born on Sunday, November 20, weighing 7lbs and 10oz. Niamh shared a beautiful snap of her and TJ with their baby girl, and the traditional dad carrying the car seat out of the hospital snap.<\/p>\n

Now almost four, Harper is her daddy’s biggest supporter, often accompanying her mum, Niamh, to Kilkenny hurling matches and even accidentally making her TV debut<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In August 2025, Niamh and TJ announced their family was expanding again and that they’d be adding baby number two to their family. <\/p>\n

Niamh joked: ‘Pre-season is well and truly underway for Harper in her new role as big sister! We feel so grateful to be growing our family. #BabyReid.’<\/p>\n

On December 13, Niamh shared the news that they had welcomed a baby boy<\/a>, named Se\u00e1n \u00d3g Reid, to the world.<\/p>\n

Moving into their home <\/p>\n

\"Pic:Pic: Niamh De Brun\/Instagram<\/p>\n

Just before Christmas 2023, Niamh and TJ got the keys to their forever home, and she couldn’t wait to host Christmas<\/a> for their families.<\/p>\n

She told EVOKE: ‘We recently moved into our forever home; we moved in at the end of October\u2026 I got all the furniture for Christmas, and we’ll be putting beds together for everyone coming up.’<\/p>\n

As for how the Day will pan out, Niamh knew where she would be focusing her skills. ‘I’m kind of into the more aesthetic side of it,’ Niamh added, explaining that TJ will be on cooking duty. ‘We know our strengths!’<\/p>\n

Making memories<\/p>\n

\"Pic:Pic: Niamh de Bru\u0301n-Reid\/Supplied <\/p>\n

In July 2023, the family enjoyed their first holiday together<\/a> and soaked up time away at the Woodlands Hotel in Limerick.<\/p>\n

Photos from the trip show Harper enjoying the playground and looking at the cows with her daddy – quite the full-circle moment for Niamh after those Snapchats!<\/p>\n

\"TJTJ Reid and his daughter Harper. Pic: Piaras \u00d3 M\u00eddheach\/Sportsfile<\/p>\n

Plenty of memories have been made at Croke Park, with Harper heading out onto the pitch to play with her dad. Sporting her own Cats jersey, she may just appear on the pitch in a few years.<\/p>\n

Marking their anniversary<\/p>\n

The pair are still as loved up as ever. Niamh marked their third wedding anniversary by posting a sweet throwback montage of clips from their special day to mark the occasion.<\/p>\n

‘Three special years. Happy Anniversary to my forever. I adore you,’ she wrote, adding that ‘November has been a busy month.’<\/p>\n

The video showed the pair saying their ‘I dos’, which was met with loud cheers from the congregation at the Limerick wedding. It went on to show their glam reception in Adare Manor, where they partied the night away alongside friends and family, including TJ’s teammates.<\/p>\n

\"NiamhNiamh de Br\u00fan and TJ Reid. Pic: Niamh de Br\u00fan\/Instagram<\/p>\n

People flocked to Niamh’s comments to congratulate the happy couple on three years of marriage. <\/p>\n

‘Congratulations to Niamh and TJ. Wishing you both continued happiness and good health,’ one person wrote, while a second said: ‘Omg wowzer absolutely beautiful. Happy Anniversary to you both.’<\/p>\n

Life after retirement<\/p>\n

\"TJPic: Niamh de Br\u00fan\/Instagram <\/p>\n

In October 2026, TJ announced that ‘after 20 seasons in black and amber, I have decided to bring my Kilkenny senior hurling career to an end<\/a>.’<\/p>\n

Niamh was one of the first to react to TJ’s post, telling her husband: \u2018Ten of your twenty years in black and amber I got to share with you, and what a privilege it’s been.<\/p>\n

\u2018You gave it everything with such humility, and our children will grow up knowing their daddy is a legend. Your mam would be so proud. We all are.\u2019<\/p>\n