Tag Archives: Eddie McGuinness

April 2020. As the first Covid 19 lockdown brings life in Ireland to a shuddering halt, Eddie McGuinness, the founder of the world’s first LGBTQ+ matchmaking festival, The Outing, is busy doing exactly what you’d expect him to be doing, calling balcony bingo for his neighbours from his second floor apartment. But after weeks of calling numbers and rallying local spirits, Eddie began to realise that something wasn’t quite right. His throat was increasingly sore at the end of each session, he was losing weight and low on energy. His first thought, naturally, was Covid 19. But when his symptoms worsened week after week, he began to fear that his health was facing something altogether more serious. Unbeknownst to Eddie, he was suffering from stage four throat cancer and he was about to face the fight of his life. “I was being extra careful at that time, we all were, every time you felt unwell you thought it might have …

AFTER a break up due to Covid, The Outing Festival returns to Clare this Valentine’s weekend celebrating 10 years of bringing people together. The Outing Festival, the world’s only Queer (LGBTQ+) Matchmaking Festival is back from February 10 to 12 on the grounds of Dromoland Castle at The Inn at Dromoland. The world famous festival has grown from its first year in 2013 when it first began as an offshoot of the matchmaking festival in Lisdoonvarna. With same-sex marriage equality since 2015, the now-standalone festival has, with the help of Queen of Matchmaking Eddie McGuinness and some teaching from the legendary Willie Daly, brought together hundreds of couples and even a few marriages, with a few more on the way. Over the years the Outing Festival has developed into an even bigger event by bringing the LGBTQ+ plus community and friends together in the areas of arts, music, film, comedy plus outdoor activities including hiking, surfing, watersports to horse riding, golf and more. However the heart of the festival remains the matchmaking and bringing people, no matter who they are or what their …