Going old school in a digital age

Eithne Buckley, owner and manager of matchmaking agency Twoheartsmeet, is very busy these days

She's matching up single, separated, divorced and widowed men and women from mid 30s to mid 70s.

Eithne set up twoheartsmeet back in 2011 along with her partner Daniel. It came about when she discovered there wasn’t any professional dating and matchmaking agency in the southern part of the country. She had completed courses in counselling and life coaching and was looking for a way to use her new skills and help people at the same time.

“Initially, I was thinking of becoming a life coach, especially around the area of helping people who struggled with weight management while also helping them to develop healthy exercise habits,” Eithne said.

While she was still debating whether to leave her full time secure office job and set up as a life coach, she changed course and decided that a matchmaking agency was the way to go.

She had a few friends who were trying online dating sites at that time and they were telling her how difficult it was to meet people who wanted a committed relationship. Most of the people they met online just wanted to have one night stands or a bit of a fling, whereas her friends wanted a long term committed relationship.

11 and a half years later, Eithne is still matching people and loving every minute of it. It has been especially busy since the counties reopened in May 2021. She believes this is due to people not socialising as much as they did prior to the pandemic and also because they are wary of internet dating scams.

“They like the security element of joining twoheartsmeet as I meet both the men and the women. Everyone brings proof of ID such as a driving licence and proof of address so that things are above board and legitimate. As a result, everyone knows it is a secure way to meet someone new,” Eithne said.

If you are hoping to meet a partner, check out their website twoheartsdating.com or call Eithne on 085-7742444.