This Over-165-year-old Matchmaking Festival Is Perfect for Singles Burned Out by Dating Apps

"For most of the year, the quiet town of Lisdoonvarna, nestled along the rugged coastline of the Wild Atlantic Way in western Ireland, boasts just a few thousand residents. But each September, upwards of 60,000 visitors flock to the small town, all looking for the same thing: love. The Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, which runs for the whole month, brings singles not only from Ireland but from other countries far and wide, like the U.S., Germany, and Russia."

"They fill the streets with a vibrant energy, met by the town's warm welcome of music, dancing, Irish hospitality, and perhaps the occasional Guinness. Ironically enough, this matchmaking festival founded in the 1850s offers something refreshingly new to people increasingly burned out by modern, high-tech dating. Lisdoonvarna is tiny; it takes all of two minutes to walk the entirety of its main street."

Each September Lisdoonvarna transforms from a quiet coastal town into a monthlong matchmaking festival that draws upwards of 60,000 visitors from Ireland and abroad. The festival centers on music, dancing, Irish hospitality and close-contact socializing along a compact main street where key pubs are steps apart, encouraging chance encounters. The event traces back to the 1850s and has run successfully for almost two centuries. Local matchmaker Willie Daly, an 82-year-old third-generation matchmaker and farmer, plays a central role in introducing singles. The festival emphasizes in-person interaction as an antidote to modern app-based dating.

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