The Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, a month of music and matches
Every September, the little Burren spa town of Lisdoonvarna gives itself over to music, dancing and matchmaking for a full month. These are the closest B&Bs in the directory, each one bookable direct with the owner.
How a spa town became a September institution
The Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival runs for the whole month of September and is billed as one of Europe’s biggest matchmaking festivals, a tradition in the town of more than 160 years. There is music and dancing in the bars from midday until late every day, with the crowds at their biggest on the weekends.
The festival grew out of the town’s life as a Victorian spa. Lisdoonvarna’s mineral wells made it a fashionable health resort, September was the height of its season, and bachelor farmers, free after the harvest, came to town while the spa was at its social peak. The matchmaking took root there and simply never stopped.
Dancing from noon, and the man with the lucky book
The daily rhythm is unlike any other Irish festival: dancing starts at midday and carries on into the night in the town’s hotels and pubs, day after day for a month. Nobody needs a partner, nobody needs to be young, and much of the crowd comes simply for the best month of social dancing in the country.
The matchmaking itself is real. Willie Daly, a matchmaker from a long family line who says he has matched over 3,000 couples, has held court at recent festivals from the Matchmaker Bar on the main street, with the next generation of his family learning the trade. Tradition holds that touching his battered lucky book with both hands means marriage within six months.
A spa town in the Burren, with the coast up the road
Lisdoonvarna sits in the Burren on the N67, and its spa wells, rich in sulphur, iron and iodine, still mark the town, with the old spa park and Victorian pump house at the meeting of two rivers. The town made an appealing base long before the festival was famous.
The geography seals it. Doolin and its music pubs are about seven kilometres away, the Cliffs of Moher are roughly fifteen, and the bare limestone of the Burren starts at the edge of town, so a September stay pairs the festival with the best of the Clare coast. Shannon Airport is under an hour away on the Wild Atlantic Way.
B&Bs and guesthouses near the Matchmaking Festival
The closest listings in the directory to Lisdoonvarna, with distances shown, including the B&Bs of Doolin just up the road. September fills the town, so contact owners early.
Frequently asked
Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, common questions
How long does the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival run for?
The whole month of September, with the biggest crowds at weekends. It has been a tradition in the town for more than 160 years.
Do you need to be looking for a match to enjoy the festival?
No, most visitors come simply for the dancing, which runs from midday until late every day in the town’s hotels and pubs, open to everyone.
Who is the matchmaker at the festival?
Willie Daly, from a long family line of matchmakers, holds court from the Matchmaker Bar on the main street and says he has matched over 3,000 couples.
What else is near Lisdoonvarna during the festival?
Doolin and its music pubs are about seven kilometres away, the Cliffs of Moher roughly fifteen, and the Burren’s bare limestone starts at the edge of town.
Going this year?
Book a bed near the Matchmaking Festival direct
A month-long festival deserves a bed with a story of its own. The B&Bs around Lisdoonvarna and Doolin put you minutes from the dancing, booked direct with the owner and no platform in between.