As soon as I had the opportunity to go on a solo press trip to Ireland, I told Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland that a visit to Trim Castle was an absolute must. Fans of the movie Braveheart may think that’s my main inspiration for my visit, but I haven’t seen the film. Instead, I wanted to come here for a more personal reason:

Because my ancestors built it.

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.