Renowned Lisdoonvarna matchmaker Willie Daly has said ‘love is still stronger than COVID’ after the 160-year-old festival was cancelled due to the outbreak.

Organisers have confirmed that the County Clare event has been cancelled following the decision to push back the final phase of reopening.

In a statement, they said social distancing would have been impossible to implement and the risk to the thousands of visitors expected to arrive was simply too high.

The cancellation will be keenly felt in the local community, with the festival bringing in more than €2.5m a year to the town.

Traditional music in a pub during the Lisdoonvarna Match Making Festival, 01-09-2020. Image: Louis WitterLe Pictorium/Zuma Press/PA Images

On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, renowned matchmaker Willie Daly said it be back bigger than ever this time next year.

“My family and I do the matchmaking the whole year round at home where I live on the farm,” he said.

“I have never seen it as busy since the COVID started. People, I suppose have a lot of time on their hands.

“They have time maybe to come to terms with their own mind and come to see how important it is to get married, have children, to have someone in your life and to share your life.

“I think there will be good things to come out of it and even at the height of this, I think love is still stronger than COVID.”

He said he is hopeful people may visit the town in the coming weeks despite the loss of the festival.

“I think a certain amount of people will kind of turn up for a day or two and have a walk around where they enjoyed lots of years and have a lovely time,” he said.

The headline acts the were booked to play this year and have all been invited to come back in 2021.