The Last Matchmaker: The Heartwarming True Story of the Man Who Brought Love to Ireland

by Willie Daly, Philip Dodd (With)

Heartwarming and hilarious stories and advice from Ireland's most famous matchmaker.

In his long career as a matchmaker, Willie Daly has helped hundreds of couples find happiness. With his unique blend of intuition, quiet wisdom and a small drop of cunning, Willie reveals the secret to finding true love, and shares the story of a life spent bringing people together in love and marriage.

For centuries, Irish matchmakers have performed the vital service of bringing people together. It is a mysterious art, and the very best matchmakers have an almost magical quality to them. Willie Daly, whose father and grandfather were matchmakers before him, is the most famous of them all.

The path to love can be heart-warming, hilarious, sometimes hair-raising—and Willie is the perfect guide. For those still looking for romance, he also has some hard-earned, practical advice. Rich with characters, humor, drama and—of course—Guinness, Willie Daly regales us with some of his funniest and most touching matchmaking stories.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Biography Memoir, Ireland

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story; absolutely recommended. I mourned the end of this book as if I were saying goodbye to an old, familiar friend.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 Extra - Book of the Week:
Dermot Crowley reads from the memoir by traditional Irish matchmaker Willie Daly. Telling tall tales of true love, this is a fascinating journey through modern rural Ireland and its recent past.

Abridged by David Jackson Young.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

We randomly met Willie recently while on holiday and looking to ride some horses. Unfortunately we learned they no longer do horse treks but we ended up talking with Willie for quite some time and learning about matchmaking, his life and this book.

I'm glad we did as the book was a fun read filled with stories of life and love in Ireland. It reads very much like he talks in stories tangled together.

[Jane Kiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book!! I really enjoyed all the matchmaking stories and the great sense of humor that was in this book. I was sad to have finished this book because I could have read more and more stories about love and finding your match. This is definitely a book I will read again and recommend to others. I do hope Willie Daly will write a sequel.

Jane Kiley, Author of Rogeen An Irish Love Story

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. A very interesting subject matter that also provided a unique insight into Irish history and culture. It was good to hear as an autobiographical story.

[Judith Ring · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very easy to read book; which is quite informative about Irish people and culture. It’s probably good for tourism as it definitely makes me want to visit County Clare.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved it! I adore Ireland and loved hearing the stories he told in his book!

[Tom M]

enjoyable pile of bullshit which nevertheless gave me food for thought, read in one sitting!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pls5b



1. Dermot Crowley reads from the memoir by traditional Irish matchmaker Willie Daly. Telling tall tales of true love, this is a fascinating journey through modern rural Ireland and its recent past.

2. Telling tall tales of true love, this is a fascinating journey through modern rural Ireland and its recent past.

Willie is inducted into the family business by his grandfather.

3. Telling tall tales of true love, this is a fascinating journey through modern rural Ireland and its recent past.

How the cultural and social changes of the 1960s began to impact on life in rural Ireland.

4. Telling tall tales of true love, this is a fascinating journey through modern rural Ireland and its recent past.

Coming from a line of traditional Irish matchmakers, Willie's father made his last match a month.

5. Telling tall tales of true love, this is a fascinating journey through modern rural Ireland and its recent past.

A salutary tale warning against messing with the path of true love.

[Angela Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely charming. Simple, rambling, conversational, anecdotal and peppered throughout with sage advice about love and life. Part memoir, and part unconventional resume, the book is short on window-dressing and long on honest, Irish appeal. You can see the folks he describes, and envision the rural upbringing Willy experienced; a sweet and funny read that leaves you warm and wistful.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

lovely :)