This Over 165-year-old Matchmaking Festival in a Small European Town Brings Together Singles Burnt Out by Modern, High-tech Dating

"The quiet town of Lisdoonvarna (population: 1,000), nestled along the rugged coastline of the Wild Atlantic Way in western Ireland, comes alive every September, bursting with upwards of 60,000 visitors all looking for the same thing: love. The Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, which runs for the whole month, brings singles not only from Ireland, but also countries far and wide, including Germany, the U.S. and Russia."

"At the center of this lively mix is local legend Willie Daly, a third-generation, 82-year-old matchmaker, who runs a pony and donkey farm when he's not introducing singles to each other. For Daly, the festival is a unique chance for people seeking love. "The opportunity is there, you see," he says. "It's a big opportunity for people to meet people." As opposed to dating apps, the festival thrives on in-person contact."

"Lisdoonvarna is tiny; it takes all of two minutes to walk the entirety of its main street. But its size is one of its charms, and one of the reasons why the festival has been running successfully for almost two centuries. It gathers everyone together along one street for live music and dancing, creating an icebreaker for the often-daunting prospect of meeting someone. The key pubs-The Matchmaker Bar, The Ritz, and The Roadside Tavern-are steps from another, so rubbing shoulders with other singles is inevitable."

Every September Lisdoonvarna swells from a village of about 1,000 to host the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, attracting roughly 60,000 visitors from Ireland and abroad. The monthlong event fills a single main street with music, dancing, and close, convivial pub spaces that encourage strangers to meet. The festival emphasizes face-to-face interaction as an alternative to high-tech dating, aided by local hospitality, live entertainment, and communal dancing. Local matchmaker Willie Daly, an 82-year-old third-generation matchmaker, plays an active role in introductions and frames the festival as a tangible opportunity for people seeking love.

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