I flew 7,000 miles for a Tinder date in Hawaii…I was nervous but had no idea what was about to happen
CLODAGH O’Sullivan, 22, a bar tender, lives in Dingle, Ireland, with partner Brady Elliot, 25, a musician, and their son Jamie Elliot, 13 months.
Today she opens up about her story.
“Sitting on my sofa aimlessly swiping through Tinder, I matched with a guy called Brady, but his photos were so blurry, it was difficult to make out what he actually looked like.
"I was about to delete him when he sent me a funny meme from The Office, which is my favourite TV show. It made me giggle – so I sent one back.
"It was July 2019 and, aged 19, I’d been single for five months. I had downloaded Tinder, but rarely used it. Where I lived in the tiny Irish town of Dingle, there was a very small pool of people to pick from on the app.
"After sending a few memes, Brady, then 22, sent a link to his Instagram account and asked if he could add me. Looking at some decent photos of him for the first time, I took a deep breath: he was actually a hot American guy with a great smile and sexy tattoos.
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"But my dreams of a first date were quickly shattered when Brady told me he was only on holiday in Ireland and actually lived 7,000 miles away in Hawaii. ‘I’m sitting in the airport about to fly home,’ his next message read.
"He added me on Instagram, but I didn’t expect anything to come of it. However, when he sent me some flirty messages a few days later, I replied, deciding there was no harm in chatting. Then our messages became more and more regular, and we talked about absolutely everything.
"Brady told me about working as an American marine corps medic and I told him I was working at my local pub. After about a week, we arranged our first video call and I felt a mix of nerves and excitement as he appeared on my screen.
"Brady said he was also a musician and offered to play me a song he’d written on his guitar – it definitely helped break the ice. A few weeks later, I met his family over a video call and I knew I needed to tell my own loved ones about Brady. I was falling in love.
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'So far apart'
"At the time, I lived with my sister Katie and my dad Jerry, so I told them first and they were really supportive. Then Brady invited me to visit him in Hawaii, so we could meet face to face.
"I felt really nervous as the furthest I’d travelled alone was a trip to London, but my dad told me to go for it, so I started saving up the £800 for a return ticket.
"When I boarded my flight that November, I was so excited, but also worried my connection with Brady wouldn’t be the same in person. But any concerns vanished the moment I laid eyes on him at the airport.
"He gave me a flower lei, the traditional Hawaiian greeting, and we both felt a spark straight away. Just two days into the trip, we became officially boyfriend and girlfriend, and a week later we said: ‘I love you’.
"We had an amazing fortnight together and as soon as I got home, we made plans to visit each other again. It was hard being so far apart, but I never had any doubts about our feelings for each other.
"He flew to Ireland just a couple of weeks later, at the beginning of December, and met my family. Thankfully, they all liked him immediately.
Just six weeks into our trip that November, I found out I was pregnant. It was the perfect surprise.
"We continued to fly 7,000 miles across the world to see each other when possible during 2020 and planned to spend three months travelling around America later in the year.
"But, just six weeks into our trip that November, I found out I was pregnant. It was the perfect surprise, and our friends and family were overjoyed at the news.
"From then on, Brady hasn’t left my side. We flew back to Ireland together and moved into our own flat. We decided to live in Ireland for the time being as it is more affordable, and Brady settled in well, becoming a full-time musician while I began working at the pub again.
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"My pregnancy went without a hitch and on July 23, 2021, we welcomed our beautiful son Jamie Elliot. For now, we’re enjoying living in Ireland, but in the future we would love to move to Hawaii, and we’re planning to get married.
"Never in a million years did I think I would fall in love and start a family with a man who lived on the other side of the world. I’m just so glad I followed my heart.”
BTW
Since Tinder launched in September 2012, it has made 60 billion matches.
A US study found that a surprising 58% of long-distance relationships are successful long-term.
