I found love at an Irish matchmaking festival - and I want others to do the same

Figure caption, "It was very serendipitous" - Mary and Jason on finding love in Ireland

Mary Timby was fed up with dating apps when she booked a trip to Ireland on a whim last summer - from the comfort of her Colorado couch.

The spur-of-the-moment trip was unlike her: Timby, 39, is a self-described "total planner".

But she'd always wanted to visit Ireland, and she found herself exhausted by the local dating scene while navigating a career transition. And then she remembered a few throwaway lines from a comedy series about a matchmaking festival in Ireland.

So she looked it up - and not only was the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival real, it was also taking place during the entire month of September, when she was scheduled to visit.