Mary Timby, a 39-year-old woman from Colorado, travelled spontaneously to Ireland after becoming disillusioned with dating apps and recalling a television reference to the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival. Her unplanned trip went viral on TikTok, and she met Irishman Jason Mangan at a local pub, leading to a transatlantic relationship and a new business bringing other hopeful singles to the festival.

Lisdoonvarna’s month-long September festival began about 170 years ago, when farmers and visitors came to the spa town to socialise and find partners. Although the town has fewer than 1,000 permanent residents, as many as 80,000 people now visit each year, with the modern event centred on pubs, dancing and conversation rather than formal matchmaking; third-generation matchmaker Willie Daly remains a well-known figure.