A woman who fell in love after flying 7,000 miles for a Tinder date in Hawaii has now welcomed her first child with her perfect match.
Clodagh O’Sullivan, 22, matched with Brady Elliot, 25, on the dating app in Ireland as Brady was sat at the airport waiting to catch a flight home to Hawaii. Shortly after, in August 2019, the pair started exchanging messages and spent hours FaceTiming each other.
After three months of chatting on the phone, Brady convinced Clodagh to fly to Hawaii, where he was stationed as navy marine medic, to meet in person. It would be the first time they had met face-to-face and despite being cautious, Clodagh booked a ticket and hopped on a plane.
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The couple said it was 'love at first sight' when they first lay eyes on each other, and Clodagh returned to spend Christmas and New Year with his family in Florida. The couple made things official during a trip to Jamaica and the USA in October 2020, when Clodagh also fell pregnant. Brady later moved to Dingle, Ireland, to join Clodagh and the loved-up couple welcomed their son, Jamie Elliot, on July 23 last year.
Clodagh, a bartender from Dingle, Ireland, said: “Never in a million years did I think I would fall in love and start a family after accepting that Tinder message. I nearly talked myself out of going to meet him. For all I knew, he was some 80-year-old man catfishing me. But I'm so glad I booked the flight and took the punt. As soon as we met, I knew he was the one.”
Brady, who was on holiday in Ireland when the pair matched, didn't have the chance to meet Clodagh until month after they started talking as he had to flu back to the States for work. Clodagh said: “Brady was on a day trip to Cliffs of Moher, Dingle, so our apps must have been in proximity for about hour when we matched. It’s really lucky we crossed paths.
"I couldn't really see his photos on Tinder so I wasn't that interested, but he then sent me a funny meme from the Office and it made me laugh. He was about to fly so couldn’t meet in person, but asked to add me on Instagram, and we started sending messages and speaking. To be honest, I didn’t expect anything to really come from it.”
The pair started chatting daily and spent hours on FaceTime getting to know each other. Clodagh even spoke to Brady’s friends and family, and she quickly fell head over heels for him. Speaking about their first meeting, she said: "Even though we had spoken on FaceTime, I was still very unsure. But I spoke to his friends and family which helped put me at ease.
"I was so nervous on the flight thinking: 'What am I doing here? It's really not like me to do something so spontaneous. I did worry I wouldn't feel the same when we met in person, but I definitely felt a spark straight away."
Clodagh planned to spend seven days with Brady but ended up extending her trip by an extra week. She even flew back across to spend Christmas and New Year with his family in Florida, USA, in December 2019.
Brady moved to Dingle when the couple found out she was expecting a baby in October 2021. They have since settled in the country together, and hope to tie the knot in the future.
"We didn't plan to have a baby, but it was the best surprise," she said. "Since Jamie was born, Brady has moved to Dingle, and we've got a house together. I never thought anything like this would ever happen. But things felt right with Brady, and I had to follow my heart."
Recalling the first time he met Clodagh, Brady said: “We matched on the last day of my vacation, and I thought she was gorgeous. I was pretty obsessed with her from the get-go. Even though it seemed a bit silly to keep texting someone two oceans away. I asked the universe for a sign and then ‘Nancy Mulligan’ came on by Ed Sheeran, and I knew for sure it was meant to be.
“I kept asking her to visit me in Hawaii because I knew she was something insanely special. We kept talking for months and call nonstop and finally got her a ticket. Meeting her at the airport was the most nerve-racking day of my life. I knew Clodagh was the one right there in that airport and our first few weeks together felt like we had known each other through a thousand lifetimes.
“Living in Ireland is amazing - I never would have imagined living in a different country. But living here with her and our little baby boy is the most surreal thing I will ever experience, and I love every second of it.”
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