Bond star Brosnan weds

BALLINTUBBER, Ireland -- James Bond star Pierce Brosnan married his partner, former model and TV reporter Keely Shaye Smith, at a romantic Irish abbey on Saturday.

The couple tied the knot at 800-year-old Ballintubber Abbey in County Mayo in western Ireland.

The wedding was shrouded in secrecy, and the bride and groom's cars were literally shrouded with white sheets as they arrived at the abbey -- apparently an effort by a private security team to protect a reported $1 million picture deal with a magazine for exclusive wedding photos.

Some 300 local residents had joined journalists outside the abbey, hoping to catch a glimpse of the couple.

But all they saw of Brosnan as he arrived for the late afternoon service was a waving hand thrust through the tinted window of his dark Mercedes Benz as it swept through the gates of the abbey.

They saw even less of the bride, who arrived in a white Rolls Royce limousine decked with white ribbon. Particular care was taken to prevent the media catching a glimpse of Shaye Smith's Richard Tyler-designed dress.

Around 100 guests were bused in by a fleet of coaches. A wicker porch trimmed with lavender and cream flowers was built around the abbey's entrance, and as the wedding party stepped from their cars, sheets prevented anyone from stealing a picture.

The hour-long Roman Catholic ceremony was performed by Limerick-born Monsignor John Fleming, rector of the Pontifical Irish College in Rome, who Brosnan met during the filming of the Bond movie "The World is Not Enough" in Italy.

The abbey apparently had been soundproofed to ensure secrecy. All that onlookers could hear outside was the strains of a piper. Three hours before the service, a London florist decorated the interior with pale pink roses, blue cornflowers, lilies, lavender and ivy.

The abbey lays claim to being the oldest church in Ireland to have been in continual use since it was founded in 1216 by Cathal O'Connor, King of Connaught.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds rolled their car windows far enough down to wave to the crowd as they were whisked to their reception at the five-star Ashford Castle hotel 20 miles away.

A marquee was erected in the grounds of the hotel, and guests were to be entertained by the couple's favourite band, The Chieftains. Security was tight at the hotel too, with reports of boats patrolling nearby shores to stop photographers from getting too close.

Previous patrons at the 83-room Ashford Castle hotel have included former U.S. President Reagan, Britain's King George V, Princess Grace of Monaco, and movie stars Brad Pitt, John Travolta, Robin Williams and Sharon Stone.

Brosnan previously visited the castle with his late wife Cassandra Harris, who died of cancer, and also filmed one episode of his Remington Steel TV show there.

Brosnan, 49, met American Shaye Smith, 36, when she interviewed him in Mexico in 1994. The couple have two sons together, Dylan, four, and Paris, who was born in February. On Friday, the couple christened Paris at the abbey.