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CNN Live Today

Celebrities Roll into Glaslough for McCartney Wedding

Aired June 11, 2002 - 11:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
We're going to head back overseas now, because during this hour, at a remote Irish castle, former Beatle Paul McCartney and his fiancee Heather Mills are saying their "I do's."

With the details we are joined by our Richard Quest, who is in Glaslough, Ireland -- Richard, hello once again.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, just shows you. You wait 15 minutes, you turn around and the weather will change. When we last spoke it was teaming, bucketing it down. Now it's absolutely glorious sunshine, which is just as well, because the ceremony is just about to begin.

In the last couple of hours we've seen the big names arriving, particularly at Belfast Airport. We've seen Ringo Starr who arrived. We've seen Chrissie Hyndes, formerly with The Pretenders. She has also arrived.

All these people came into Belfast Airport either on chartered jets or they made their own way there. They were then all bussed down about 80 miles from Belfast here to Castle Leslie at Glaslough.

And what's interesting about it, we also saw several huge buses, which basically had the family and the friends from Liverpool. A plane came from Liverpool in northwest England, and, of course, from London. So we've seen a lot of people arrive.

We saw Ringo Starr, who came in last. He was in the last Mercedes car that swept through. Steve Buscemi, the actor, has also arrived. And Aidan Quinn, the actor, we believe is also here.

A veritable who's who, indeed, of who's here. And who have I got now with me? Let's talk more about it. And your name, Madame?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Rege Horn (ph).

QUEST: Rege (ph), good afternoon to you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good afternoon to you.

QUEST: You have been here a while, haven't you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been here an hour.

QUEST: Was it worth it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it was. Very much so.

QUEST: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, because it's very special, Paul McCartney's wedding, and I have a great love of Paul because my brother lived in Liverpool, actually married to a Liverpool lady. I've been there on holiday on many times and went to Penny Lane, where he was brought up, where he was reared. Wasn't that right? And it's just absolutely wonderful.

QUEST: But you've stood here for an hour in the pouring rain and got drenched to see buses with people you don't even know or cars with blacked-out windows. And you're still saying you enjoyed it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, absolutely -- absolutely. I intend to enjoy the rest of the evening.

QUEST: You're going to stay here in the crowd (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I'm going to stay here a while.

QUEST: You might see some of the fireworks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I would love to see Paul, but I don't think so.

QUEST: You didn't see him yesterday?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. On television, yes.

QUEST: Rege (ph), many thanks, indeed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you very much.

QUEST: I've got a secret to tell you. I was born in Liverpool.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really?

QUEST: I was.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

QUEST: My father went to the same school as Paul McCartney.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really?

QUEST: He did -- Rensling (ph). But I thought it was interesting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And my brother was in the Entry (ph).

QUEST: Right. Where the race course is?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, of course. QUEST: Rege (ph), many thanks, indeed, for joining us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you very much -- absolutely.

QUEST: So as you can see, much talk. And now, of course, we do know, the police have pretty much confirmed, that all the major guests are in there.

The people, Daryn, who -- you know you might want to wonder, why would somebody want to stand outside in the pouring rain to see buses of people they don't even know or limos with blacked-out windows, where they're told it's Ringo Starr. But that ignores the point.

For Glaslough, this has been almost like a family event. They're almost part of what's happening inside there; such an enormous event. And coming on top of the day, that Ireland goes into the next round of the World Cup.

See if you really want to push the right buttons here, forget the McCartney wedding. Just mention Ireland's three-nil victory over Saudi Arabia -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And, Richard, on top of everything, we come to learn that you were born in Liverpool. A bonus of information there.

QUEST: Absolutely! I'm a Liverpudlian. Just don't ask me what happened to the accent. I can do it actually if I have to, and I'm not going to.

KAGAN: OK. We won't ask you to do that. But perhaps there are some other folks there you can talk to, like that nice lady you were just talking to, finding out why they're spending their day waiting to see a wedding that they won't even see or be invited to.

QUEST: Well, yes. I mean, there's all sorts of people here. Why did you come here? Why did you come here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For football.

QUEST: You came to see the football?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

QUEST: And have you seen any celebrities arriving here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, just Ringo.

QUEST: You saw Ringo? And what did he -- he didn't say anything to you, did he? He just swept in there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He asked me for a cup of tea.

QUEST: He asked you for a cup of tea? Well, it will be a better chance than we have of actually getting in there. Let me just update you on what we expect to happen, because the castle is now sort of roughly half a mile over in that direction. There are helicopters flying overhead.

We're not entirely sure whether they should be flying overhead. We believe there may actually have been air exclusion zone. But certain news organizations -- and there we are, we're going to find it for you. That's the helicopter. News organizations have put a helicopter up there.

The service is probably now underway. After that, the guests will move by the tunnel that's been built down from the church -- from the castle in the church down to the marquees, which are next to the loch (ph) -- or to the green loch (ph). Glaslough is literally what it means. And that's when the party will begin.

Paul McCartney's tour band that he was recently on tour with, they're going to perform. We're not sure if Eric Clapton is here. We've been saying that for hours that he is. But actually we're not sure that we can confirm that.

Then, of course, late tonight the fireworks, we believe, will be set off. So there's a long way to go here. But I think we can safely say, Daryn, without fear of contradiction, the ceremony is probably, maybe, perhaps now underway.

KAGAN: Very good. Well you keep those dancing shoes on, Richard, and we will check back with you for the latest on the wedding. As you said, we think it could be like this very moment -- they could be up there at the altar this very moment saying, "I do." Very exciting to think about that prospect. We'll be checking back with you.

QUEST: Indeed.

KAGAN: Very good.

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