A newly-married couple in Cork got a surprise over the weekend when former US President Bill Clinton 'crashed' their nuptials.

Ex-president Clinton was staying at Castlemartyr Resort in east Cork where Irish man Patrick Howard and American woman Kelly Seamans were getting married.

He happily posed for photos with the newlyweds after introducing himself.

Kelly, originally from Minnesota, said she was both surprised and delighted at her chance meeting with the former president on her wedding day.

"We were outside taking some photographs… he (Clinton) was standing there in the wings waiting and as he came down he just approached us and congratulated us on our wedding day," Patrick said.

"Kelly being from the US, they obviously exchanged a few words.

"We were talking to him for a brief time and it was fantastic."