I found love at an Irish matchmaking festival – and I want others to do the same

BySheila Flynn Senior US Reporter.

Key points

• Conversation just flowed, notes Mangan, 38, from Ennis, County Clare, concerning 22 miles southeast of Lisdoonvarna.
• The spur-of-the-moment trip was unlike her: Timby, 39, is a self-described "total planner".
• They kept talking daily, Mangan impatiently waiting for Timby to wake up seven hours behind him in Colorado.
• The pair watched their after grow, drawing interest from Irish cafes and tourist destinations to the local Gaelic sports club in Colorado.
• Now, a little more than a year afterwards, Timby is reaping the benefits of that uncharacteristic last-minute decision: She's become a viral star.

Mary Timby was fed up with dating apps when she booked a trip to Ireland on a whim last summer – from the comfort of her Colorado couch.

For context, the spur-of-the-moment trip was unlike her: Timby, 39, is a self-described "total planner".

But she'd always wanted to visit Ireland, and she discovered herself exhausted by the local dating scene while navigating a career transition. And then she remembered a few throwaway lines from a comedy series regarding a matchmaking festival in Ireland.

When she was scheduled to visit, so she looked it up – and not only was the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival real, it was additionally taking place during the entire month of September.

Now, a little more than a year afterwards, Timby is reaping the benefits of that uncharacteristic last-minute decision: She's become a viral star. She's discovered love with an Irishman she met at a pub called The Matchmaker. And she's even began a new business venture – bringing others to Lisdoonvarna who hope to follow in her footsteps.

"It's really about enjoying County Clare, enjoying the festival, and, if you meet someone, you do – and that's what happened with us, " notes Timby, smiling at her partner, Jason Mangan, sitting beside her.

They're speaking from the windswept coastal cottage they rented together for the summer in his native County Clare – regarding 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Lisdoonvarna, the site of their first fortuitous gathering. 'Mary, your video is going viral'.

From the outset, Timby's inaugural Ireland trip seemed to take on a life of its own.

She filmed a short video on the plane before her flight took off, telling her approximately 300 TikTok followers that she was heading on an off-the-cuff trip to an Irish matchmaking festival – and didn't "know what's going to happen".

Timby then "turned my phone on airplane mode, then spent about eight hours on the flight (and) woke up at Shannon Airport, " she notes. When she turned on her phone, "it was blowing up".

For context, a group of friends had texted her. "They said, 'Mary, your video is going viral, '" she notes. "I didn't even have notifications on for social media."

She rented a manual transmission car – horrified to find the gear stick on the left side of the driver's seat – and set off through County Clare to her accommodation at an Irish family's home.

Then she headed to Lisdoonvarna, where she saw firsthand that the festival is a whole-town, month-long celebration of conversation and dancing, rather than a line of singles waiting to be set up by a sage local matchmaker.

When bachelor farmers and moneyed visitors would flock to the spa town of Lisdoonvarna to bathe in its mineral-rich waters and socialise, that's changed since the festival's origins 170 years ago. Generations of matchmakers would ply their trade to set up successful marriages, and word spread. While the town's year-round residents number fewer than 1, 000, that number swells up to 80, 000 each September as revellers descend upon Lisdoonvarna from worldwide, now.

Third-generation matchmaker Willie Daly still holds court at his nearby home and at festival events, and Timby even visited him during her trip – when he put her on the phone to random men whose accents she struggled to understand.

But the real magic of contemporary Lisdoonvarna lies in the town's overflowing streets and pubs – as Timby shortly identified out.

Her first night in town was "a little slow, " she admits – and Timby was tired and jet-lagged. She retired to her room and spent the next day sightseeing, but the Irish woman running her accommodation convinced her to try Lisdoonvarna again that night.

"My AirBnB host said, 'You should go back tonight, because I heard that the younger folks come out at night, '" laughs Timby.

So she did – and discovered herself dancing and drinking pints at The Matchmaker Bar in the centre of town. That's when a "handsome Irishman" approached her.

"I went over and introduced myself, and. Conversation just flowed, " notes Mangan, 38, from Ennis, County Clare, concerning 22 miles southeast of Lisdoonvarna. He'd been to the festival before and was well-acquainted with its cultural significance, remembering his grandparents making the journey decades earlier for the dancing.

Unfortunately, I didn't have much time on my hands, because I was turning back to Ennis, notes Mangan, designated driver that night for a group of friends. So I got her name, and I said, 'Oh, sure, I might see you around.' It was a particularly short interaction, to be honest with you.

He didn't leave it at that, though; Mangan discovered Timby on Instagram and followed up with a message inviting her out.

"It was short and sweet, and it was really genuine, too, " notes Timby – and she took him up on the offer.

What followed was a series of whirlwind dates – lunches, dinners, sightseeing and shopping trips. Timby extended her time in Ireland and documented much of it for her newfound after – but she didn't reveal anything concerning her new beau. They wanted to save the burgeoning romance for themselves.

When Timby eventually had to fly home, there were "tears at the airport" – but they decided to keep the relationship going.

"It was very tough to say goodbye, " Timby notes. "It was very tough to start a long-distance relationship, but it ended up being a really good opportunity for us to sort of slow things down a bit."

They kept talking daily, Mangan impatiently waiting for Timby to wake up seven hours behind him in Colorado. She flew back to Ireland again, then he created his first trip to America for Thanksgiving 2025. Timby returned to Ireland at Christmas and met his family, and after that, they decided to create her boyfriend's sizeable social media reveal.

"We thought, this is something we already know we want to invest in. We were ready to share, " Timby notes. "So New Year's Eve, we shared a photo of him, and people were just over-the-moon excited."

For context, the pair watched their after grow, drawing interest from Irish cafes and tourist destinations to the local Gaelic sports club in Colorado. Their story additionally caught the attention of Lisdoonvarna locals. This person approached Timby – a communications consultant – concerning being an ambassador for the festival.

"So I said: Sign me up, " Timby laughs. "I love the festival. It brought me Jay."

Timby's been inundated with messages from lovelorn followers hoping to replicate her matchmaking success.

I heard from many of my followers. Groups of people wanting to go to the festival but not having anyone to go with or not knowing what to do, Timby notes. I really listened to that, and I additionally wanted to be mindful of the fact that I love Ireland.

"I'm so excited to showcase County Clare and all the amazing things that the west coast of Ireland has, but I'm also not a tour operator."

So she partnered with a firm called Met Through Friends. It organises and encourages real-life meetups for residents looking for love. They published an interest form for a trip, expecting "80 to 100 responses." They received 560.

For context, the first group of eight will create the trip afterwards this month, with Timby's Irish boyfriend consulting on the itinerary.

"You can go on all these apps, swipe left, swipe right, but it's not actually going out and making a connection with someone and experiencing a small little town in Ireland, experiencing the culture, " notes Mangan. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You never know." Timby, smiling at her boyfriend of one year, agrees.

"I echo everything Jay just said, " she notes. "Put your phone down and put yourselves out there, and good things will come."

Taken together, the developments around I found love at an Irish matchmaking festival – and I want point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.