Game Set Match: Why I’m going looking for love (without Tinder)

Here we are, lads: single at 30... great stuff.

I've just been through a lovely break-up. I know that sounds odd but it's true. I was in a lovely relationship with a great friend, and we had mighty craic. Around nine months in we both realised it wasn't right, but we kept at it. Why? Because why not? Truth time: I've been in relationships full of drama, and they were wrong. This one, however, was full of mutual respect and fun. So why didn't I want to stay? The thing is, we're not compelled to marry just for 'lovely'. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a crazy husband hunter - in fact, I'm not even sure that I want to get married at all (not sure if it's for me), but I do know what love is and, yes, we all want that. : Now, here's the kicker: I absolutely 100 percent REFUSE to go online dating. I refuse to go on Tinder or Plenty Of Fish or Bumble or Catch A Man or whatever funky new app is promising to deliver you the person of your dreams. I've been on them before and they're truly rancid. Not saying that all people are the same, but I just don't like the idea of being judged firstly based on how you look, and then even after a GOOD date somehow feeling disposable. It's not working and we need to leave those wretched things alone. So what's a girl to do? I have an incredible and very fast paced career which I love; I play sport and train hard; when I go out now I'm usually accompanied by 37 married couples. So where in baby Jesus's name am I supposed to meet someone? There is another way. Good old-fashioned matchmaking. Yes there are people in this country who are fully fledged matchmakers, like Yenta and (truth time, here) I'm writing this piece while eating Cheerios for dinner (NO MILK). I need a Yenta. via GIPHY I met my Yenta on a sunny mid-week afternoon in Dublin. Her actual name is Rena and she runs Intro Matchmaking with her husband, Fergal. Intro Matchmaking does exactly what it says on the tin. It matches you with people based on a number of different factors... your likes, interests, and goals for the future (all the good stuff!) I'll be going into more detail on Intro as we get deeper into singlehood but I'll give you a quick synopsis here as we have a pressing matter to attend to. Intro has a five step five date process. The first step is making an appointment. Down the line, you'll get your first match which is the pressing matter I referred to. Yep I made an appointment, I met my very own matchmaker and I now have my first match. via GIPHY   So, 24 hours until the first blind date, the majority of questions coming my way focus on nerves and on meal payment. Randomly enough the 'who pays' thing never entered my mind, I always pay for my own meals but I guess that's a discussion for tomorrow. Regarding nerves... I would say I'm more intrigued. I've never been on a blind date, what if he shows up takes a look and leaves? I'm pretty sure (HOPES) that doesn't happen in real life. I have a time, I have a restaurant, I have a name and a profession. That's it. Wish me luck.