A Belfast woman is preparing to meet her American fiancé for the first time. The pair plan to marry, although they have never met, having found each other on an internet dating website.
Patricia Mallon (48) from Belfast will meet her fiancée Joseph McMahon, from Oklahoma, for the first time in three weeks when he arrives to prepare for their wedding.
McMahon proposed to Mallon by phone in April and they now plan to marry just two weeks after they meet for the first time.
McMahon is a divorced father-of-two, who works as a car restorer in Oklahoma.
Speaking to the Irish Sun newspaper, Mallon, a mother-of-five, said, “I can’t wait to meet Joseph.
“People think I’m crazy for agreeing to marry a man I’ve never met but this is the best decision I’ve ever made.”
She admitted, “During the early parts of our relationship I did worry that I’d never even spoken to him on a webcam. There was a possibility he wasn’t even the man in the photos that he had posted. But we’ve got to know each other so well that all the doubt has gone.”
Mallon continued, “I truly believed I’d be alone for the rest of my life.
“I never dreamed I’d find a man — let alone someone who lived 4,000 miles away.”
McMahon said that as soon as he set eyes on Mallon he knew she was his “soulmate”.
He said, “I’m not worried that I'm marrying someone I’ve never met because I already feel like I know Patricia completely.
“The moment I saw her picture online, I knew she was my soulmate.
“Some people, especially Patricia’s family, have criticised our decision saying it's odd.
“But it feels normal to me.
“I’ve spent months daydreaming about our future together, and I can’t believe it's nearly here.”
Mallon, a busy mother-of-five checked out the dating website when her 15-year-old daughter, Courtney, suggested it.
“When Courtney suggested online dating, I told her she was mad,” said Mallon.
“I’d read the horror stories about women meeting up with men who turned out to be psychos.
“But I could see it meant a lot to her, so I agreed.”
Courtney set up her mother’s account on “Are You Interested?” and Mallon started to browse. When she saw McMahon’s profile there was an immediate attraction.
“When I saw his picture I thought he looked kind and genuine,” said Mallon.
“He looked so different from most Irish men who approached me. I felt an instant attraction."
“We hit it off straight away and we spent hours chatting online about our common interests of music and hiking.
“We agreed to take things slowly as we had both been hurt in the past — but secretly I was besotted with him.
“We spoke nearly every day, first of all on Facebook then over the phone.
“Neither of us owned webcams, but we exchanged photos.
“And over time we opened up to each other.
“Although we discussed visiting each other, flights were expensive.”
McMahon, a divorced father-of-two, stole Mallon’s heart with old fashioned romancing. He wrote her a love letter.
She explained that the letter read, “I think you’re the one I’ve been searching for all my life”.
“I couldn’t have put it better myself. Joseph was most definitely The One,” Mallon continued.
“I wrote back, telling him I felt the same.”
Four weeks later, McMahon phoned and proposed to his Irish love.
She said, “It was so romantic I nearly dropped the phone in excitement.
“Without hesitating I accepted his offer of marriage.”
Although Mallon’s children support her decision to marry McMahon, not all of her family are behind her.
Mallon reasoned, “There will always be some doubters in the family, and we will just have to prove them wrong.”
“I can’t wait to meet Joseph. He’s promised me a ‘proper’ proposal in person too — and the first thing we’ll do is shop for wedding rings.
The couple plan to have a small ceremony at a quiet church on McMahon’s 50th birthday, 7th October. They then plan to go to Oklahoma for their honeymoon where Mallon can meet her new American family.
Paying tribute to how this unique couple met, Courtney, Mallon’s daughter, will walk her mother down the aisle.
Courtney said, “I thought Mum deserved to be happy again, so I pushed her to try online dating… She was happy, and that made me happy.”
21 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.JosephMcMahon | Dec 27, 2012, 10:17 AM EST
I must thank everyone of the well wishers ! Patricia and I are very happy together ! Where ever we choose to live , that will be our home . A house is a dwelling , but a HOME is were love lives ! May peace , love , happiness , joy and forgiveness be with every one , and everyone you know and will meet !
JosephMcMahon | Dec 27, 2012, 10:04 AM EST
For the records , We are happily married NOW !!!
Louise | Sep 05, 2012, 10:56 AM EDT
To Stevenstar: Not all Americans are alike. I'm from Belfast and I married an American RIP a good a gentle man. Remember there are good and bad in every nationality. How dare you. Good luck to you both and I hope it works out for you and that you are all very happy.
SheilaSB | Aug 29, 2012, 12:21 PM EDT
I hop both of them are honest and sincere people who really want to make a relationship work. I question the lady's statement that this gentleman "did not look like all the Irish men who had approached me." I would like to know what she means by saying the Irish men are "different." I have been thinking of going to Ireland, should I ever find myself single again, so I would love to know just what she means.
STEVENSTAR | Aug 25, 2012, 11:21 PM EDT
DON'T DO IT.. I MET AN AMERICAN ONLINE ONCE WORST EXPERIEBCE OF MY LIFE.. THE CULTURE IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT. AND OUR ATTITUDES TO LIFE VERY DIFFERENT I WOULD STAY WELL CLEAR OF AMERICANS AND STICK TO IRISH OR BRITISH PEOPLE WHERE WE MORE SIMILAR IM NOW BACK IN IRELAND AGAIN AND WOULDNT DATE ANOTHER AMERICAN ..
paddyRanger | Aug 25, 2012, 01:36 PM EDT
I say good luck to them, hope it works out. I am celebrating yesterday 12 years married to a wonderful American girl...we meet the old fashioned way in person no internet.
Kevin Longan | Aug 24, 2012, 10:10 PM EDT
Let the stereotypes fly again! Oklahomans are "rednecks," really?! Thanks a lot, shows ignorance to the nth degree. Sounds to me like somebody (with 5 kids) may be looking for a green card to the land of the free. Don't always assume it's the man who has ulterior motives, this gal could well be scamming this poor "good ol' boy." Watch the regionalism, you know not of what you speak..
bob40wil | Aug 24, 2012, 11:04 AM EDT
And in other news, the O'Brian's cow got out of the barn again, More at five.
malpaso2001 | Aug 24, 2012, 10:58 AM EDT
Tisirish is correct, be aware but its not just men doing this. I was scammed several times on various sites and only wised up when they looked for money for some "emergrncy". These hucksters are very good at what they do. I guess its easy to overlook a red flag when you want something bad enough. Re-read old emails and see if there's any disgrepincy, its hard to keep up a lie, they usually let themselves down but u have to be on the ball to notice. So if he looks for $$$$ to come see you then run for your life. I hope im wrong here...
IrelandNorth | Aug 24, 2012, 07:25 AM EDT
Jospeph Mc Mahon/Seosamh Mac Mahúna (lit. Seosamh - son of the bear!) With a name like that, he's gotta be Irish/-American. How strange can he be to an Irish lass call Patricia Ní Mhaóláinn as Béal Feiríste/Belfast. Best of Irish luck to them. Everyone deserves happiness.
connemaragirl | Aug 24, 2012, 12:49 AM EDT
Ouch !!!!!!!!!!!,I hope she waits till she really gets to know him,she has five children to take into consideration, even when you know someone it does not always work out, never mind just talking on the internet,its a different thing being together day in day out,hope it works out for them, but I'm with her family,take it nice and slow kiddo,lots of weirdos out there.
blackbearpause | Aug 23, 2012, 10:08 PM EDT
Good luck to them, but only time will tell. it is easy to have your best foot forward on the internet.I hope thios story is followed up on. Will be interesting to say the least.
tucsondub | Aug 23, 2012, 07:41 PM EDT
These two are getting married and they cannot afford the air fare to visit each other first? The fact that they cannot afford the fare is telling but not even a webcam, what does that tell you about their financial situation. Disaster waiting to happen! Also, there was no mention of where will they live as husband and wife?
lanamoon | Aug 23, 2012, 06:53 PM EDT
Oh dear. She should get to know his family, especially his mother before she ties the knot. Could be a momma's boy or a redneck. Possibly a good ole boy. Good luck to her.
TheNetherlands | Aug 23, 2012, 02:48 PM EDT
Love is love but take it slow, marriage is too intense, how about just living together first, then you can hit the road without regrets if it doesn't work out.
uppinko | Aug 23, 2012, 02:46 PM EDT
WoW!!!! A man and woman actually getting married? whatever next?
acmelvin | Aug 23, 2012, 01:01 PM EDT
This isn't anything new.....mail order brides of the 1880s, now it's the internet, at least you have video and skype and you get to see the other person. Each to his own....best of luck to her.
jamieLM | Aug 23, 2012, 11:28 AM EDT
@TisEyerish, good post. It's a dangerous world and the internet allows people to present themselves as someone they aren't. SeanODwyer is right. It takes time to know someone well.
TisEyerish | Aug 23, 2012, 10:42 AM EDT
I hope she reconsiders...this is a very dangerous thing to do. Too many horror stories out there as to the results of meeting, nevermind marrying, someone you met on-line. I used to do the internet dating thing and learned quickly that most of the men are losers who do not represent themselves accurately...to put it mildly.
SeanODwyer | Aug 23, 2012, 09:41 AM EDT
I'm Irish and I met my American wife via her father, who I'd met on the Internet some years previously. My wife and I met in NY in March and were married in NY in October. That was 16 years ago. Sometimes you really do just know. // Having said that, this sounds like a complete train-wreck. A grown man describing a woman's photo in terms of her being his soulmate is not a grown man; he is a twit. As for the lady, you don't know anyone until you've been in their presence for an extended time. Period. // I worry for these two, heading as they seem to be into a huge legal mess with international complications.
autonomy | Aug 23, 2012, 07:53 AM EDT
I did a similar thing in 2003, I met a lady online from Oklahoma in 2001. We seemed to have a lot in common and we decided for her to come here to England and get married. She arrived here in January 2003 and we married in March. Things were good at first, but by Sept 2003 when I guess we really knew each other better, we started to realise it wasn't the fairy tale. She returned home in December 2003 and has been there ever since. I would never recommend marrying or living with a person you have never met.