When I got my itinerary for Ireland, I panicked when I saw that I’d have to pick up a rental car from Hertz at the Shannon Airport that I had to use to make my way across the country to Dublin.

I spent a year in New Zealand and never drove once because it was on the opposite side of the road, and it freaked me out. Being on a sponsored press trip through Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland didn’t leave me much of a choice in the matter, especially if I wanted to see all the places I wanted to, like Galway and Trim.

It didn’t end well.

I never thought I’d wind up with an opportunity to visit Ireland, especially not on a solo press trip sponsored by Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. A younger version of myself who was also afraid to come out of the closet would have also been shocked that the main point of the trip was to visit a queer matchmaking festival called The Outing Festival.

The Outing Festival, now hosted at The Inn at Dromoland, began twelve years ago at a now-closed place called The Matchmaker Bar in Lisdoonvarna. What started in a bar has turned into a full-on hotel takeover in County Clare, which has a storied history with matchmaking that influences the weekend’s events and activities.