20:30
Music
County Clare
Williams: In Irelands wild west, a mans home really can be a castle. But what happiness a king without a queen. In County Clare, the women have fled the farms for the cities and beyond.
20:36
The cows may be content, but the menfolk left behind are lonely. More burials than marriages in these parts, where life can be a solitary round, stuck in lifes sand trap.
20:54
Lisdoonvarna festival
But help is at hand. An extraordinary matchmaking festival thats been held after harvest at the spa town of Lisdoonvarna since the 18th century.
21:13
Every year, 15,000 of the lovelorn from around the world flood into the town to join in the dance, drink and dreams of new love, where a lonely man can meet a lonely woman.
21:25
Willie greets woman
Willie: Nice to see you. Dont you look gorgeous. If I might say so, you look gorgeous.
21:38
Williams: Meet Willie Daley, a matchmaker like his father and grandfather before him. He claims thousands of marriages. Its a big night in the matchmaker bar. Customers are lining up from all over the world for a touch of Willie magic.
21:46
Willie: Come on in, come on in.
Woman: So Willie, could you just explain how this works.
Willie: Well, what people often put down is their name and a mobile number or a number I can contact and we have loads of fellas.
22:02
Matchmaking forms
Williams: Its simple enough just fill in a form name, phone number, a few personal details, and Willie will comb through his ancient book of love for that someone special. Their needs can be basic.
22:18
Two women
Woman 1: What do we need in a man?
Woman 2: Legs. (laughs)
22:30
Willie dances with woman
Williams: If Mr. Right isnt immediately to hand, theres always Willie to comfort a lonely widow.
22:35
Woman 2: Youre the first man Ive danced with since my husband died.
Williams: But when the music stops, its back to work an endless stream of hope and hormones.
22:44
Willie talks to woman
Willie: We've got about six to seven fellas to each woman in our files now.
Woman: Six to seven fellas!
22:50
Willie: Come on in and well get you a nice wife. Come on, come on.
Willie with men Williams: They come from all over the world. These two are from Austria and Germany.
23:06
Willie: You should meet some nice people. That job is interesting as well publisher.
Williams: There must be many an Irish woman looking for an economic newsletter publisher from Austria.
Group of women What do Dubliners, Susan and Linda, want?
23:29
Woman: To meet a nice man.
Woman 2: With plenty of money. And look after us for the rest of our lives.
Woman: We dont want plenty of money. No. Just a nice man.
Woman 3: I have to say, I want money.
Williams introduces Austrian man to women
Williams: So in the spirit of the festival, I saw a chance for a bit of kerbside matchmaking.
23:45
Woman: Gosh, hes tall. Williams: Hes from Austria. I'm sorry, your name?
Man: Johann.
Williams: And your name?
Woman 3: Susan. Pleased to meet you. Man: Nice to meet you.
Williams: Matchmaking isnt so hard, is it?
Woman 3: There you go. It just happens.
Willie with Japanese tourist on horse
Willie: This is Brad Pitt, this one.
24:07
Williams: But even the professional matchmakers have day jobs. For Willie Daley, its trail rides for tourists.
Willie: Whats your first name?
Japanese Woman: My first name is Sae.
Willie: Lovely name. Now you hold the reins like that.
24:18
Tourists on trail ride Williams: The fresh country air helps clear the fog of the night before.
24:29
The master matchmaker tells me if the electricity isnt there from the beginning, the light of love wont shine. But, like a horse and rider, sometimes its the differences that count.
24:40
Willie: Im a great believer in opposites. I think if a woman has a very high tech job in the present society, I would feel that, you know, who she would marry, rather than another business person, should be a farmer. Where in the evening time when she comes back, she totally unwinds and
24:52
WIllie maybe barefooted and walk on the soil and walk on the grass and maybe roll around a little on the grass and on the soil. Maybe with her boyfriend or with her farmer, which is great fun as well.
25:08
Women boot scooting
Music
Williams: That is but a dream for some of his more challenging clients.
25:19
Willie; Most of them have very good heads of hair their teeth might need a certain amount of attention but in many cases when we introduce a prudent woman to such a man I mean, she could see all that at one glimpse and all it would take is to throw him into that care, you see, and a womans touch.
25:24
Guinness
Williams: But first contact takes courage, and courage takes Guinness buckets of it.
25:44
Couple dancing
Willie: They probably go through 14 or 15 pints of Guinness.
Williams: 14 or 15?
Willie: Guinness is an aphrodisiac, you know. They just cant keep their hands off women then, and sometimes this is the imbalance, that they overdo it that quick.
Williams: But true love can conquer all.
Kevin and Breena
Kevin and Breena were Willies clients at last years festival. And now?
26:07
Kevin: Oh, we love each other.
Breena: Big time, yeah. Big time.
Williams: And if Willie hadnt done this, none of this would have happened.
Breena: No.
Kevin: We wouldnt have met. We wouldnt have met.
Williams: Money well spent?
Kevin: Oh, absolutely.
Breena: You better believe it.
Williams: You can kiss the bride now.
Kevin: Fair dinkum.
Breena: Money well spent.
Couples dancing
Williams: Every night, strangers can become friends, and then so much more. And before you know it, in the magic night lights of Lisdoonvarna, the man or woman of your dreams may step up and say Would you like to dance? and life may never be the same again.
26:34
Music
26:53
Credits Reporter: Philip Williams
Camera: John BenesEditor: Mark Douglas
Music
County Clare
Williams: In Irelands wild west, a mans home really can be a castle. But what happiness a king without a queen. In County Clare, the women have fled the farms for the cities and beyond.
20:36
The cows may be content, but the menfolk left behind are lonely. More burials than marriages in these parts, where life can be a solitary round, stuck in lifes sand trap.
20:54
Lisdoonvarna festival
But help is at hand. An extraordinary matchmaking festival thats been held after harvest at the spa town of Lisdoonvarna since the 18th century.
21:13
Every year, 15,000 of the lovelorn from around the world flood into the town to join in the dance, drink and dreams of new love, where a lonely man can meet a lonely woman.
21:25
Willie greets woman
Willie: Nice to see you. Dont you look gorgeous. If I might say so, you look gorgeous.
21:38
Williams: Meet Willie Daley, a matchmaker like his father and grandfather before him. He claims thousands of marriages. Its a big night in the matchmaker bar. Customers are lining up from all over the world for a touch of Willie magic.
21:46
Willie: Come on in, come on in.
Woman: So Willie, could you just explain how this works.
Willie: Well, what people often put down is their name and a mobile number or a number I can contact and we have loads of fellas.
22:02
Matchmaking forms
Williams: Its simple enough just fill in a form name, phone number, a few personal details, and Willie will comb through his ancient book of love for that someone special. Their needs can be basic.
22:18
Two women
Woman 1: What do we need in a man?
Woman 2: Legs. (laughs)
22:30
Willie dances with woman
Williams: If Mr. Right isnt immediately to hand, theres always Willie to comfort a lonely widow.
22:35
Woman 2: Youre the first man Ive danced with since my husband died.
Williams: But when the music stops, its back to work an endless stream of hope and hormones.
22:44
Willie talks to woman
Willie: We've got about six to seven fellas to each woman in our files now.
Woman: Six to seven fellas!
22:50
Willie: Come on in and well get you a nice wife. Come on, come on.
Willie with men Williams: They come from all over the world. These two are from Austria and Germany.
23:06
Willie: You should meet some nice people. That job is interesting as well publisher.
Williams: There must be many an Irish woman looking for an economic newsletter publisher from Austria.
Group of women What do Dubliners, Susan and Linda, want?
23:29
Woman: To meet a nice man.
Woman 2: With plenty of money. And look after us for the rest of our lives.
Woman: We dont want plenty of money. No. Just a nice man.
Woman 3: I have to say, I want money.
Williams introduces Austrian man to women
Williams: So in the spirit of the festival, I saw a chance for a bit of kerbside matchmaking.
23:45
Woman: Gosh, hes tall. Williams: Hes from Austria. I'm sorry, your name?
Man: Johann.
Williams: And your name?
Woman 3: Susan. Pleased to meet you. Man: Nice to meet you.
Williams: Matchmaking isnt so hard, is it?
Woman 3: There you go. It just happens.
Willie with Japanese tourist on horse
Willie: This is Brad Pitt, this one.
24:07
Williams: But even the professional matchmakers have day jobs. For Willie Daley, its trail rides for tourists.
Willie: Whats your first name?
Japanese Woman: My first name is Sae.
Willie: Lovely name. Now you hold the reins like that.
24:18
Tourists on trail ride Williams: The fresh country air helps clear the fog of the night before.
24:29
The master matchmaker tells me if the electricity isnt there from the beginning, the light of love wont shine. But, like a horse and rider, sometimes its the differences that count.
24:40
Willie: Im a great believer in opposites. I think if a woman has a very high tech job in the present society, I would feel that, you know, who she would marry, rather than another business person, should be a farmer. Where in the evening time when she comes back, she totally unwinds and
24:52
WIllie maybe barefooted and walk on the soil and walk on the grass and maybe roll around a little on the grass and on the soil. Maybe with her boyfriend or with her farmer, which is great fun as well.
25:08
Women boot scooting
Music
Williams: That is but a dream for some of his more challenging clients.
25:19
Willie; Most of them have very good heads of hair their teeth might need a certain amount of attention but in many cases when we introduce a prudent woman to such a man I mean, she could see all that at one glimpse and all it would take is to throw him into that care, you see, and a womans touch.
25:24
Guinness
Williams: But first contact takes courage, and courage takes Guinness buckets of it.
25:44
Couple dancing
Willie: They probably go through 14 or 15 pints of Guinness.
Williams: 14 or 15?
Willie: Guinness is an aphrodisiac, you know. They just cant keep their hands off women then, and sometimes this is the imbalance, that they overdo it that quick.
Williams: But true love can conquer all.
Kevin and Breena
Kevin and Breena were Willies clients at last years festival. And now?
26:07
Kevin: Oh, we love each other.
Breena: Big time, yeah. Big time.
Williams: And if Willie hadnt done this, none of this would have happened.
Breena: No.
Kevin: We wouldnt have met. We wouldnt have met.
Williams: Money well spent?
Kevin: Oh, absolutely.
Breena: You better believe it.
Williams: You can kiss the bride now.
Kevin: Fair dinkum.
Breena: Money well spent.
Couples dancing
Williams: Every night, strangers can become friends, and then so much more. And before you know it, in the magic night lights of Lisdoonvarna, the man or woman of your dreams may step up and say Would you like to dance? and life may never be the same again.
26:34
Music
26:53
Credits Reporter: Philip Williams
Camera: John BenesEditor: Mark Douglas