A COUNTY Waterford man’s dream was shattered this morning after long-time girlfriend Tracey Kent finally got down on her knees, but made a marriage proposal instead.

Tommy Bishop (36), was left ‘bewildered’ by the request and said he had no other choice but to say yes as ‘the guilt got the better of him’.

“I thought she was gonna give me something to smile about before going into work!” he recalled. “All I got was this stupid ring and a promise”.

“The lads are gonna slag the shite out of me now,” he added.

Mr. Bishop has been going out with his girlfriend for six years and told WWN that he never wanted to get married to anyone because of financial reasons.

“Marriage is like betting someone half your shit that you’ll stay with them forever,” he explained. “I think it’s time to open a sneaky bank account!”

February 29th is traditionally said to be the only time a woman can propose to their man in an age old tradition, spanning back to the 9th century.

Hotels and golf courses reported a vast increase in the number of bookings today as thousands of men made arrangements for ‘work related day-trips’ to different parts of the country.

“We haven’t seen this much business on a Wednesday in a long, long time,” said Mount Juliet Golf Course Manager David Keane. “We’ve had a lot of members handing in their phones to reception and asking us to hold on to them until tomorrow.”

It is estimated over 300 women will make marriage proposals in Ireland by the end of today.