Night out could help to unlock the key to your heart

SINGLE men and women from all over Clare will be coming together to unlock the secret to relationship bliss at a singles event in Ennis on Saturday, November 21.
Organised by the daughter of renowned matchmaker Willie Daly, Gráinne Daly and Dutch native Sophie Heusy, the lock ’n’ key singles night was arranged to meet local demand.
The event takes place in Tom Steele’s Bar from 9pm.
Sophie explained that following on from the matchmaking festival in Lisdoonvarna earlier this year, she and Gráinne were quizzed by singles who wanted to know how to meet other singles and where to meet them. On the back of this, they decided to organise a singles night with a difference.
“We didn’t want to do the regular singles night and put a load of singles together in a room and just see what happens.
“So we went online and came up with this lock ’n’ key event. What happens is we will give out locks and keys on ribbons, the men with get a lock when they arrive and the women will get a key.
“So if you don’t know how to approach a man or woman, then I guess this is the key. People can go up and say, I’d like to see if we match. While the girls have the keys there’s nothing stopping the men from going up and saying, I don’t think you’ve tried my lock yet, let’s see if we’re a match,” Sophie explained.
The idea is if the lock and key don’t match but two people get on really well, then they can discard the lock and key and continue chatting. Alternatively, if they do match but there’s no chemistry then the lock or key can be replaced.
“We don’t do magic, we just create the circumstances. We’re not going to do any matchmaking by matching keys to locks ourselves but we will keep an eye on things and if we see someone who is not doing much, we’ll introduce them to a few people.
“This idea provides the perfect excuse to talk to someone; you have something in your hand, you don’t have to come up with a good opening sentence, you just present your key or your lock and you have your opening,” Sophie added.
A single lady herself, Sophie moved to Ireland six months ago having participated in a blind date TV show.
“I’m from Holland and I came to live here after participating in a Dutch television show that involved matchmaking with Willie Daly. I did seven blind dates in seven different towns in Ireland. There were three other Dutch girls and there were three boys in each of the towns. Willie Daly introduced us and we went on a date and the man had to show their part of Ireland. It was a great way to get to know the country.
“I fell in love with Ireland but I haven’t fallen in love with any men yet. I decided to resign my job and I’ve been living here since March,” Sophie revealed.
Gráinne believes that in the current economic climate, singles are finding it more difficult to meet new people and feels that clubs and pubs, with loud music especially, are not always ideal situations to get to know someone.
“With the recession, people are not socialising as much in pubs anymore and a lot are staying at home, so we’re providing a DJ and finger food so there will be a good atmosphere. The music will be low, so people can still talk and chat.
“We’ll also have pens and paper available so that if people want to exchange numbers they can do that,” she said.
Tickets are available at a discounted rate from Daly’s Bar, Ennistymon, or by emailing lisdoonsinglesdir@yahoo.com; by calling Sophie on 085 7087560 or Gráinne on 086 1240797. Tickets will also be available on the door on the night.