Willie Daly Matchmaking Festival

So as we all know being single these days isn't easy, where are you ament to meet someone? Tinder? We all know how successful I was at that!!

Here’s a new one for ya.. a matchmaking country music festival… read on if you want to see what I got up to on my matchmaking music festival adventure.

What am I talking about? Well here is a back ground story to the famous Willie Daly Matchmaking festival in Lisdoonvarna.

While the festival has moved into the 21st century, Willie still believes in the old fashioned method of round the table talks with couples and getting the passion flowing by getting them dancing together. Ireland’s most famous matchmaker is Willie Daly. His passion to help hopeful singles, of all ages and nationalities, find a life partner and has a lot of fun on the way. Since he started out as a matchmaker 50 years ago, following in his fathers and grandfathers footsteps, Willie has set up around 3,000 marriages. Willie took over the matchmaking business from his father back in 1960’s – and back the job was mostly about helping shy farmers pluck up the courage to meet a suitable lady. The farmers, who often lived and worked on very remote farms, had poor social skills, especially when it came to socializing with women and courting. Willie carries around what he calls his ‘lucky book’ – a precious notebook of love seeking profiles which is about 150 years old. He explains ‘if you touch this ‘love ledger’ you’ll be married and in love inside of six months… If you are already married you will recreate the honeymoon period you first had.

Yes people I kid you not, this blog post is all about the exciting weekend I spent in a small town in Ireland called Lisdoonvarna!!

What you read about is true, there is a man who sits in a pub (The Matchmaker Bar) for the month of September with a magical book helping people find love.

So friends and I decided we would head down to the country weekend, for the music of course.

Was I looking to find love…. Lord no!! but I did have a great weekend!!

It started off on the Friday with a spray tan from the wonderful Victoria!!! I couldn’t be going down there pasty white, how would I find myself a farmer!!!

So leaving the salon a golden orange :D:D I headed home to pack, what in lords name do you pack for a match making festival!! I knew there was a marquee, but that was about it!!

So into the bag went some skirts, t-shirts, jeans and in a separate bag went all my make up… yes people I had one bag of cloths and one of makeup!! I was only going for two nights, well id packed for a week!!

So off I set in my little Corsa, lifted my friend in Belturbet and headed for a part of the country I have never been to. Well… people I know the cute stone walls along the Irish country side are beautiful and look amazing on your post card but holy mary they scare the crap outta me when I’m made drive down a road the width of my car! There I am driving down a road the width of my car, thinking if I meet another car, I have two options a brick wall or hit the car coming towards me. Great choices ehh..

Lets just fast forward a while, the house we booked in Doolin was amazing, everything you would need for a weekend away and more! Even explored the we village and found a pub doing yummmmmy food! Even if your not trying to find love, I’d recommend a weekend in this village.

Our gaff for the weekend 😀

We got ready and headed off to the festival on the Friday night, it was a great night’s crack with Cliona Heagan and Mike Denver, as usual they were amazing pelting their we heart out on stage! There was defiantly no match made Friday night, it was all very overwhelming and a lot of people!!

Saturday was a different story, still no match but it was great crack, we headed to the pub about 1pm stayed there for a good few hours and ventured home for a shower and fresh cloths, a girl needs to look pretty!!

After spending the day in the Matchmaker pub dancing to the sweat was running down your face and being pushed and shoved against lots of sweaty people because the bar was that busy defiantly warranted a shower in my eyes!!!!!

I didn’t find a match, but I met some truly amazing and friendly people, I ended up in a group of men singing old traditional Irish songs and getting a drink bought for me. I was driving so I politely accepted, sipped it and then ditched it when no one was looking.

So, there you have it a sober weekend in Lisdoonvarna at the matchmaker festival, not finding my match.

It was defiantly one of the best weekends I have had, yes, the pubs and marquee was packed!! There were a lot of drunk sweaty people, but it was so much fun.

After a much-needed breakfast on Sunday we headed into Lisdoonvarna to get snacks for the road home (it was the only shop) we ended up back in the pub at 11am dancing our we heart out until half 4. It was a 4-hour drive for me, so It was defiantly time to say good buy and get on the sketchy, dangerous winding roads with the death walls either side of you.

I said in a previous post that I wanted to take more adventures, I know I said I would write about my day in London, but I thought this was defiantly something I wanted to share with you.

So, with a super long post about my non-existent love life (I feel like this is all I write about at the minute) I better end it here.

A weekend away at a music festival is defiantly something I would never have done, I would have made excuses that I had to much work on, things to do with dad or a lack of funds would have stopped me. Honestly the weekend cost me next to nothing, the ticket into the festival and house was around 160 euro each and I didn’t even spend 100 euro. As I knew this trip was coming up, I had saved and paid off the house etc. It was defiantly the weekend away I needed, things with dad havent been great (I have a post coming about that) this weekend cleared my head and ready to start a fresh.

We cant always be on the ball with work, personal life and caring responsibilities. Yes dad might be in a nursing home so all I have to do is go in and visit him, check he is doing okay and if he needs anything! But I lost many many years to the caring responsibilities of dad, I know I’m not the only one but from the age of 17 until 25 dad was my number one priority. When most people are enjoying university and travelling, I was working two jobs and looking after dad. When I was supposed to be enjoying my youth I was looking after dad. If I had to do it again would I do it? Of course, I would, I would probably try to be more organised and do more for him.

I wouldn’t change the past 12 years of looking after dad, but if this disease is going to come and bite me on the ass I’m bluddy hell going to enjoy the next 12 before I’m sitting in a nursing home thinking of all the things I wish I had done!

Cliona Hagan was defiantly my favorite 😀 😀