Willie Daly is a matchmaker in Ireland — a fascinating man we stumbled upon entirely by chance. Driving toward the Cliffs of Moher, Dan and I noticed a small hand-painted sign: “Matchmaking Donkey Farm.” We thought it would be a great name for a band. Then another. Then another. Each one slightly different — white boards with red or blue letters, some with hearts, some with donkeys, some simply saying “nice donkeys.”

After the cliffs, we chased the signs down winding country roads. This was either going to suck or be epic, and the anticipation was thrilling. We reached a small farmhouse. There stood Willie in the driveway. He asked if we were married, if any of us were siblings, and if we would be interested in being matched up with others. Eighty-two years old, with donkeys in the back, a museum on the property, stories for days — and the phone constantly ringing. During our visit, he took three matchmaking calls. At one point, he even handed the phone to my wife: “Talk to this gentleman, he needs to get married quickly.”

I pulled out the Hasselblad 500C with Kodak 120 film, and Willie liked the old camera, and he posed, laughed, and told us more tales. I don’t think he ever stopped talking the whole visit. We bought a hand-painted donkey sign that now proudly hangs on my studio door.

The donkeys all have names courtesy of his grandkids. The lone one – Brad Pitt. The others — Donald Trump in the front, Nicole Kidman behind. The view of his farm was gorgeous, way out in the middle of nowhere. It was one of the most memorable stops of the trip. Always follow the strange signs and take the side roads — you never know where they’ll lead.

More about Willie here, an article I found online about his matchmaking.

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