This man may be Ireland’s last traditional matchmaker: ‘People’s loneliness is the same’

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “While you could say in the world everything has changed, nothing has changed, people’s loneliness is the same, and people want to share their lives with someone.” As to the modern world of dating apps, Mr Daly said he is in favour of anything that brings people together. open image in gallery The Matchmaker Bar in Lisdoonvarna, the home town of Ireland’s last traditional matchmaker Willie Daly, which hosts an annual match making festival every September “My father Henry stopped when he had got to a good age. open image in gallery Irish traditional match maker Willie Daly in the kitchen of his home on a donkey farm close to Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare “He’d be talking about her, so one day I was looking at the paper and saw her father had a fat pig for sale, so I said ‘Why don’t we go up?’ “We went into the pigsty and were looking at the pig, and in she arrived. “We left, and about three days later her father came up to the wall beside our house and asked about that young man, and asked would he have any interest in getting married, and that was that.” Mr Daly said he receives matchmaking requests from people of all ages.