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ARE you single, Irish and living in Britain?
Then a new Irish internet dating agency might be just what you are looking for. Eiresingles.com is one of the latest on-line agencies which has taken the dating scene by storm.
Helping Irish people living abroad find their ideal Irish partner, more and more people are turning to the internet in search of love.
While Irish men have long been renowned for their ability to enchant the opposite sex at the drop of a hat it now seems they have to rely on their electronic skills rather than their accents.
With one in 10 single Irish people now looking for love on the internet, what once came naturally now requires filling out a form.
One agency member looking for love said: “It’s the fastpaced, time-starved society we live in that has created this internet dating phenomenon.
“It’s just so difficult for people to get the time to meet potential love interests, so it’s not surprising so many are resorting to dating on-line.
“I think Eiresingles is a particularly great idea because I know lots of Irish guys living in Britain and even further beyond who really want to meet an Irish girl but it’s just so difficult when you don’t live in Ireland. This website would make it so much easier.”
There is also a proliferation of dating agencies in Ireland, from speed dating and online profiling to the less intimidating ‘networking’ agencies.
Marketing executive Rowena Breen has just launched a service called Dinnerdates which provides dinner dates for single people in their 30s and 40s looking to meet people in a non-pressurised environment. Rowena said: “Dinnerdates is an opportunity to meet new like-minded people in a variety of friendly, relaxed and fun organised events.
“My business is aimed at busy professional male and females who do not have the time to organise and meet new people due to busy work schedules.”
But is there a stigma attached to alternative forms of dating in Ireland?
Emer Sloan from Sligo admits that although on-line dating is becoming hugely popular in Ireland people still don’t really like to talk about it.
“I know lots of people who participate in on-line dating but very few of them like to talk about it,” she said.
“They’d rather meet people naturally. But when push comes to shove they are prepared to try almost anything to meet the man or woman of their dreams. I think once people get past the initial embarrassment, they begin to wonder what the big deal is.”
For those who are short on time, speed dating has also become a popular choice. One Irishman living in London has considered taking part in speed dating.
He said: “The bigger the city you are in the more difficult it is. I moved over to London a year ago and have found it difficult to meet a partner so I am contemplating taking part. It would be such an easy way to get out and meet a load of people in one night.”
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