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An Illinois woman finally met and fell in love with her Irish pen pal who she spent the last seven years emailing, Skyping and exchanging love letters with.
Mackenzie Udani, 21, from Frankfort, Illinois, met her now boyfriend, Fiachra Schusterovi, 20, from Arigna, Ireland, in 2015 through popular internet chat site Omegle.
When Mackenzie was 14 she and her friend decided to go on Omegle to find internet friends, but she never imagined she would meet the love of her life.
Seven years after Fiachra and Mackenzie became friends, Mackenzie finally made the trek to Ireland meet her pen pal and the two had an instant spark.
Mackenzie Udani, 21, from Frankfort, Illinois, met her now boyfriend, Fiachra Schusterovi, 20, from Arigna, Ireland, through popular internet chat site Omegle
When Mackenzie was 14 she and her friend decided to go on Omegle to find internet friends, but she never imagined she would meet the love of her life
The two instantly had a connection and began to form a close friendship and by using Facebook, Snapchat and Skype to talk almost everyday
‘We stumbled upon 4 boys our age from Ireland. We all instantly clicked.
‘I immediately was gravitated towards the one Irish boy with dark hair. That was Fiachra,’ Mackenzie told DailyMail.com on how the pair came to be.
The four Irish boys, Mackenzie and her friend formed an instant connection and had an ‘online friendship for about a year.’
‘Our whole group would Skype often and text each other as much as we could. Eventually, our lives got busier and it was harder for our group to find time to talk.’
Although the friend group faded apart as they grew older, Mackenzie and Fiachra never lost touch.
The two began messaging each other outside of the group and video chatted almost everyday.
Although they usually relied on Facebook, Snapchat and Skype to communicate, the lovebirds sometimes even exchanged heartfelt handwritten letters to each other.
‘We had always messaged each other separately from the group and developed a sort of relationship early on.
We came to the realization that it would be difficult to have a relationship since we were 3,000 miles away, so we mutually agreed to remain good friends.’
Despite not being able to pursue a romantic relationship, the two remained friends; Mackenzie and Fiachra lived their own lives, while managing to still keep in contact.
Mackenzie and Fiachra’s relationship grew each day, despite being 3,000 miles away, the two became much more than internet friends to one another.
‘He became one of my greatest support systems and best friend.
‘From 3,000 miles away, he was able to help me and support me in so many different ways. And I always made sure to do the same for him.’
Mackenzie and Fiachra finally decided to pursue a romantic relationship with each other after six years and spent the next year doing online dates through video chats
Seven years after Fiachra and Mackenzie became friends, Mackenzie finally made the trek to Ireland to meet her pen pal
The two officially started dating after Mackenzie met Fiachra’s parents in Ireland, who welcomed her with open arms
At the start of 2021, Mackenzie found herself needing the support of Fiachra more than ever.
When her father passed away from cancer, the University of Illinois student endured the heartbreaking pain that comes with loosing a loved one.
Luckily for Mackenzie, Fiachra, despite being in another country, helped her work through the pain and offered her a shoulder to cry on.
‘Even though there was a 6 hour time difference between Fiachra and I, he still would pick up the phone even if I called him and it was 4am his time.
‘This was when I realized that he was truly something special that I never wanted to let go of.’
Mackenzie and Fiachra finally decided to pursue a romantic relationship with each other after six years and spent the next year doing online dates through video chats.
The pair often painted, had dinner dates, had picnics, exercised, baked and went on walks together, all over the phone.
Prior to becoming official, the pair often painted, had dinner dates, had picnics, exercised, baked and went on walks together, all over the phone
The two traveled all over Ireland hand-in-hand, exploring the cities Dublin, Galway, Clare and Arigna, all while falling in love
After seven years, the back and forth over the phone wasn’t enough, the two knew they needed to meet in person
After seven years, the back and forth over the phone wasn’t enough, the two knew they needed to meet in person.
‘It was getting to a point where meeting each other in person seemed necessary.
‘There were still restrictions in place for Irish citizens to travel to the US, so I thought why not buy a ticket to Ireland and meet him for the first time.
‘I bought my ticket in May of 2022 and visited him July 17th through to July 28th 2022.’
The two traveled all over Ireland hand-in-hand, exploring the cities Dublin, Galway, Clare and Arigna, all while falling in love.
Mackenzie even met Fiachra’s friends and family who welcomed her with open arms.
‘They were nothing but kind to me and made me feel extremely welcome,’ the 21-year-old said of her boyfriend’s family.
Mackenzie took to TikTok to share their amazing love story in a video and users couldn’t believe how the two lovebirds met
Mackenzie and Fiachra made things official while she was in Ireland and despite having to continue with phone dates, the two have never been happier.
Mackenzie has been back in the states for a week now and the couple is already planning for the next time they see each other.
Although the two wanted to stay together in Dublin, Mackenzie had to come back home to finish up her last year of college; however, Mackenzie is looking forward to Fiachra visiting in her in the states in the near future.
Mackenzie took to TikTok to share their amazing love story in a video, which racked up over 2.4 million views, and users couldn’t believe how the two lovebirds met.
One user said: ‘I’m emotionally invested, how sweet!’
‘If y’all don’t get married there’s literally no hope,’ added another user.
Another user commented: ‘Can this be a Netflix movie.’
‘I’m rooting for the success of these TikTok strangers’ relationship more than any dating show I’ve ever watched,’ wrote another user.