FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
PANTI IS ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A MAN AT LISDOONVARNA, AS TICKETS GO ON SALE FOR "THE OUTING"
Presiding over Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival's first ever gay weekend as "Mistress of Ceremonies" is Dublin drag-queen Panti. Dubbed "high queen of Ireland" in the LGBT community, she'll be fresh from a run of her Abbey-Peacock Theatre show when she heads west for The Outing, and hosting the festivities isn't the only thing on her mind. She's hoping to enlist the help of Willie Daly - the fourth-generation "last true Matchmaker in Ireland" – to help her snare a man: "I'm looking forward to bring some gay glitter to Lisdoonvarna, and in between the dancing and the craic, trying to find the perfect match that has so far eluded me. Watch out Lisdoonvarna, I'm determined to get my man!"
The world's first Gay and Lesbian Matchmaking weekend kicks off with céili dancing, a live show from Eurovision winner Niamh Kavanagh, and incredible club sets from the DJs of The Dragon Dublin On Tour and Club Tease.
Jonny Woo, Queen of London's Alternative Drag Scene - rated 5 stars by Time Out Magazine and The New York Times - will be flying in to provide a live show on the Saturday Night, and will certainly bring an international sparkle to the sleepy Clare town.
Dónal Mulligan, (co-Director of the event with Eddie McGuinness) who said the entertainment list continues to grow, feels that the mix of traditional and contemporary is a substantial draw; "Where else would you find a tea dance hosted by a drag-queen, where you can start your evening with a gentle waltz, or a set-dance, before it accelerates to incredible live acts and sets by the best DJs on the gay club scene in Ireland. Nothing like this has happened before and we think it's going to become an annual fixture!"
McGuinness and Mulligan have worked with local attractions and activities to provide deals for their guests, who can enjoy the likes of Cliffs of Moher cruises, Burren hikes, caving, rock-climbing, surfing and more – a broad selection of ways to spend the day with that potential new partner, before heading back to the dance floor.
Tickets for the event went on sale this week and are reported to be selling strongly. "We're delighted to see so many sold in just the first few days", said Eddie McGuinness (co-Director of the event with Dónal), "but we're not surprised – it's a new and very fun festival, with great entertainment and a beautiful hotel stay among the most scenic landscapes in Ireland."
Details of entertainment, hotel accommodation, local activities and ticket sales are available at www.theouting.ie
€199 per person sharing or €239 for a single room, The Outing package comprises a luxury hotel stay with full Irish breakfast, and access to all entertainment throughout the weekend.
[ENDS]
For more information:
Website: www.theouting.ie
Contact: [email protected]
Interviews with Event Directors:
Dónal Mulligan: +353 86 727 3353
Eddie McGuinness: +353 86 388 4242
EMcG Public Relations, www.emcgpr.com , [email protected]
Additional Interviews:
Michael Barron (Director, BelongTo): [email protected]
Panti (Hostess, MC): [email protected]
Notes to Editor:
The Outing supports and sponsors BeLonG To, who celebrate 10 years of support services for LGBT young people in Ireland. BeLonG To is currently working to develop a network of support groups in small towns and villages around Ireland and applauds the lead Lisdoonvarna has taken in welcoming LGBT people. (Further details on The Outing website here. A video detailing BeLonG To's 10 years is available here.)
For those of you looking for love (or just fun-seekers!), each year Matchmaker Ireland revisits this tradition in the small village of Lisdoonvarna, in a series of events that make up the famous Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival (30th August 2013 – 29th September 2013) – 5 Great weeks of celebration of love, music and dancing for singles and couples.
The village of Lisdoonvarna is a lovely spot in itself, and there are 13 pubs in Lisdoonvarna with music playing from 12 noon till 2 am in the morning throughout the month-long festival during August/September. Lisdoonvarna also has the only natural spa water in Ireland, so squeezing in a visit there is worthwhile.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
"A new twist on old traditions" - the historic Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival opens with a Gay & Lesbian weekend for the first time.
Dublin, Ireland, 15 May 2013 (launching "Lisdoonvarna - The Outing" which takes place 30 August - 01 September 2013)
Drag High-Queen of Ireland, Panti, stepped out in the summer sun this week to launch an exciting first; the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, which has taken place in the small Co. Clare town for over 150 years, is going gay! The historic festival opens its 2013 program with a lesbian and gay weekend dubbed "The Outing", as the town makes plans to welcome LGBT tourists in search of love and merriment in the beautiful Burren landscape. Panti, who will host the weekend as Mistress of Ceremonies and "Queen of Hearts" shared her excitement: "I do love interfering in other people's love lives so I can't wait to get to Lisdoonvarna and start meddling. It's going to be great craic and I expect to be buying quite a few ostentatious wedding hats afterwards"
Many Lisdoonvarna residents and local business owners have already voiced their enthusiasm for what they see as a welcome new twist on the generations-old festival, which looks set to bring a new sector of tourists to the area. Fourth generation matchmaker, Willie Daly, will be present during The Outing's weekend and feels ready to bring some new couples together; "Matchmaking has always been about love", he said.
The Outing comprises a weekend package of hotel accomodation and full entertainment schedule, fusing old Ireland with gay club life as céilís sit next to drag shows and tea dances lead into late night DJ sets. Event Directors Eddie McGuinness and Dónal Mulligan have worked with club events for several years and say that the unique and novel fusion on offer here was what enticed them to put together The Outing. "Traditional Irish events like céilí dances have had it right for hundreds of years", says Mulligan, "they're a perfect way to meet new people in a lively, comfortable and fun atmosphere. We're taking the best of old Ireland - music, dancing and matchmaking - and putting it together with the variety of entertainment on offer in the LGBT community. We think it's going to be a very effective combination!"
McGuinness and Mulligan are working together with BelongTo, whose work they hope to raise awareness of and funding for through The Outing. BelongTo is an organisation that assists LGBT young people in Ireland by building support networks and creating educational campaigns on issues like homophobic bullying in schools. BelongTo is currently in the process of setting up regional support groups for young people in many rural towns across the country and has already seen other similarly warm receptions toward the gay community in other small towns.
"As Willie Daly says at the end of the day it's about love — thats what the matchmaking festival has always been about", said Eddie McGuinness, adding "Ireland is leading the world on a lot of gay issues and hopefully we will have gay marriage soon, so the time is right for something like this to take place. We have a five-year plan for this event. This year we are looking at attracting people from Ireland and Britain but this is going to become a very big international event."
Mr Marcus White, owner of Hydro Hotel and Lisdoonvara Matchmaking Festival sees this as a modern take on an old tradition ."We are trying to put a different twist on the festival. It is going to be same as any other matchmaking weekend — we will have entertainment, music and dancing — but this will be a gay and lesbian weekend."
For more information:
Website: www.theouting.ie
Contact: [email protected]
Interviews with Event Directors:
Dónal Mulligan: 086 7273353
Eddie McGuinness 086 388 4242
EMcG Public Relations, www.emcgpr.com, [email protected]
Additional Interviews:
Michael Barron (Director, BelongTo): [email protected]
Panti (Hostess, MC): [email protected]
Notes to the editor:
Notes to Editor:
Tickets at €199 per person sharing, and comprising a 3-star Hydro hotel stay and access to the full program of festival events at The Outing's Matchmaking Weekend, go on sale next week.
The Hydro Hotel is a superior 3 star hotel located in the historic spa resort town of Lisdoonvarna.
Facilities include: 110 newly refurbished ensuite bedrooms mostly overlooking The Burren and Clare hills. Original 19th century architecture and decor maintained.
The world famous Cliffs of Moher are a few miles away and now boast a state of the art Visitors' Centre, with stunning video installations.
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Lisdoonvarna Photoshoot, June 2013
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Photo Credit: TheOuting.ie
Launch Photoshoot, May 2013
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Photo Credit: Cian Markey
Download in High Resolution
Photo Credit: Cian Markey
Download in High Resolution
Photo Credit: Cian Markey
Download in High Resolution
Photo Credit: Cian Markey
Event Organisers: Eddie McGuinness & Dónal Mulligan
Download in High Resolution
Photo Credit: Cian Markey
Event Poster, August 2013
Guinness World Record Poster, August 2013
Promotional Club Posters, June 2013
