The Lisdoonvarna matchmaking festival has been cancelled for a second year

Terrible news for singletons.

The organisers of the annual Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival have confirmed that this year’s event will not go ahead once again due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The event, which takes place in Clare every year and attracts tens of thousands of visitors from across Ireland and the world, had been due to take place in September but has now been cancelled for the second year in a row. "As the Government have advised that there should be no large-scale indoor events until the whole population has been vaccinated, this year's Lisdoonvarna Festival has regrettable been cancelled," festival organiser Marcus White said. "Many people, especially younger ones, will not be fully vaccinated before the end of September. "All our events are staged inside, including the country music marquee, which can accommodate up to 2,000 people, which is not permissible under current guidelines. "We would not be able to manage the very large crowds that normally throng our small town for a month." The event is worth around €2.5 million to the local economy and this year would have hosted DJs and country music acts to entertain the masses for the duration of the festival.