THOUSANDS of singletons from all over Ireland and far beyond will throng Lisdoonvarna as the Matchmaking Festival returns this September.
While live music will ring out from bars and venues around the village, organisers have said that live music events at the Marquee and Pavilion theatre will not be going ahead this year, due to rising operational costs.
The festival goes back to the 19th Century and third generation matchmaker Willie Daly, who has made over 3,000 matches over the last 50 years, said that this year’s festival will be one of a kind, with huge pent-up demand out there among singletons.
“Love has been kind of put on hold, a lot of people have been starved for love really, due to Covid and restricted movement. This year there is great enthusiasm with people to get out there and make up for the lost years.
“There were a number of lost years and at certain ages it’s serious enough. It’ll take some people a while to respond to freedom again, to be okay with the fact that everything is back, that they can get up and go dancing, have a great time again. I think this festival is going to be quite exceptional.”
He said he has had enquiries from all over the world, and he said that in many corners of the earth an Irish man would be considered a good catch.
“A lot of women want to meet an Irish man. I think they’re noted for being nice, respectable, that they work very hard, they drink a bit hard and they sing a lot and dance a lot.”
Irish women are also sought, for other reasons he noted, saying, “Irish women are renowned for their beautiful eyes, their beauty, and the thing that they have that a lot of other countries have lost, they have a lot of nature in them.
“I think this is something that’s become uncommon in the world and it’s being sought by people who want a nice gentle person who is beautiful as well.”
Many Ukrainian refugees are now living in hotels in Lisdoonvarna, but Willie feels that there is enough accommodation in the wider North Clare area to cater for the demand.
“I think there’ll be no problem with accommodation,” he said.
“Lisdoonvarna is eight minutes in a taxi from Ennistymon, it’s ten minutes from Lahinch, a lot of accommodation there, there’s accommodation in Liscannor, and a lot of accommodation in Doolin.
“What will probably be important to have is a comprehensive taxi service. All those places are only ten minutes away, ten Irish minutes anyway,” he joked.
There will be dancing three times a day for a month, and there will be plenty of opportunities for the unattached.
“They say the first dance is the first chance to find love,” says Willie.
People may be a bit more direct, given the opportunities denied to them since the start of 2020.
“It’s not necessary to always have a lot of small talk, which is time consuming. I think it’s going to be a very impulsive festival of romance and love, people finding love, and when it’s over I’d expect quite a large number of weddings as a result of this year.”
The last few years have changed people’s outlook, he feels. “The uncertainty of the times we’re in is going to have a big impact on what people want. They just want love, they want to be happy, to be secure and to be in love.
“The times are playing their part and as usual Arthur Guinness will make a big contribution!”
Local county councillor Joe Garrihy said that losing the festival to Covid was hugely disappointing, but having it back in 2022 is great for Lisdoonvarna.
“It’s brilliant, Willie Clancy was back last week, brilliant to see that, now brilliant to see the Matchmaking Festival going ahead, there were a lot of doubts and people were saying it wouldn’t go ahead, but it’s brilliant news.”
He said that the absence of some of the central hotels from the Festival will give it a somewhat different feel, but he said there is plenty of accommodation in the area for hopeful singletons.
“North Clare has a lot of accommodation all over. In years gone by there were always people staying in Doolin, in Ennistymon, in Lahinch, coming to the Matchmaking Festival.
“There is an enormous amount of really high quality accommodation in Lisdoonvarna outside of the hotels that are providing the accommodation to the Ukrainians at the moment.
“There’s a large amount of accommodation there with high quality guest houses and other establishments around the area in general.”
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.