DATING Croagh Patrick is the new Lisdoonvarna

Pictured at the base of Croagh Patrick at the launch of alternative singles weekend Meet on the Reek are Teresa Cannon, Aoife Harrington and Aileen Kitterick.?Pic: Michael McLaughlin

Meet on the Reek - Lisdoonvarna for the adventurous


From September 23 to 25, Croagh Patrick is set to play Cupid to singles looking for love. Meet on the Reek, a singles weekend with a difference, offers two days of group-based adventure activities for single people with similar interests.
Unlike matchmaking festivals like Lisdoonvarna, with its traditional dances and Queen of the Burren competition, or the modern pursuits of bar-hopping, online lonely hearts clubs and speed-dating, Meet on the Reek is centred around a team-based group climb of Croagh Patrick. Other optional outdoor activities over the weekend include rafting, orienteering and zorbing (what could be more romantic than rolling downhill in an orb made of transparent plastic?). Dinner and nightly entertainment is also included in the programme.
Organiser Orla O’Malley explains why she feels Meet on the Reek offers more than any other form of organised dating: “The big misconception about all singletons is that they are looking for love or ‘the one’ when in fact, the biggest challenge for single people with an increasing number of married friends and work and other commitments is a hugely reduced social circle and less opportunity to go out and socialise.
“Meet on the Reek may or may not result in one finding the love of their life but it will definitely deliver a new social group of friends and – because it’s activity based – new experiences, hobbies and horizons.” 
All Meet on the Reek participants will be asked to fill out a questionnaire on the website www.meetonthereek.ie, from which they will be grouped with people of a similar age, profile and interests over the weekend. Participants can sign up for just the activities or they can choose to go for the whole package, which includes two nights accommodation at Westport’s Castlecourt Hotel, as well as drinks receptions, dinners and evening entertainment.
While local clergy have recently criticised the commercialisation of Croagh Patrick, O’Malley says Mayo’s pyramidal peak is perfect for an event like Meet on the Reek: “I don’t believe our group climb of Croagh Patrick compromises the religious or spiritual significance of The Reek in any way. People come here throughout the year for many reasons, all of them good.
“For many years, ladies made the pilgrimage to Lough Derg and prayed for a husband and, while Meet on the Reek is a very different offering, I’m sure our weekend in September will be a personal pilgrimage for many of its participants!”
Move over Lisdoonvarna…