Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival - Lisdoonvarna, County Clare

Location: Lisdoonvarna,County Clare

Time of Year: September

Matchmaking is one of Ireland's oldest traditions and, for the last couple of hundred years, a good deal of it has taken place in Lisdoonvarna during September and early October.Nowdays, Lisdoonvarna’s annual festival has evolved into Europe’s largest single’s event. People don’t necessarily come to look for a spouse – they come by the thousands in search of a good time. For the month of September, dances run from 12.00 noon each day and carry on into the small hours of the next morning. Set dancing exhibitions are also a feature of the event and there’s live Irish music in most pubs, although getting to the bar can be quite a task, but don’t worry or hurry, because the music carries on until the early hours!