Dating In Ireland: 15+ Unique Phrases To Help You Date

Who’s kidding who? Dating is a minefield, whatever culture you belong to. Dating in Ireland is no different and made even more complex by the invention of social media sites like Tinder and Hinge. How times have changed! I was recently watching an English TV program set in the 1990s (Only Fools and Horses). There is an episode where the main character is embarrassed and openly mocked for using a dating service – and now they are ubiquitous. 

This article will give you a few useful phrases as well as talking about the dating apps Irish people use and a story I have about an experience a particular Irish person had with an app (probably one his Irish mother, or Irish mothers in general, don’t want to hear).

Before we go any further, I want to tell you about Ling – a match made in heaven between keen language learners and people who love sleek, easy-to-use apps.

Ling teaches and tests all the major skills like reading, writing, listening, speaking, and vocabulary. The app is designed in such a way that you never get bored. I do 10minute daily lessons in my target languages(you can pick as many as you want) and then compare my progress to other learners. I know it’s better to compare yourself only to previous versions of yourself, but seeing that global leaderboard motivates me.

If you’re more interested in the product, then skip to the final paragraph. If not, join us on this journey into the tangled web of Irish dating.

Some Phrases To Help You With Dating In Ireland

EnglishIrish
AgeAois
BoyfriendBuachaill
DatingDhátú
DivorcedColscartha
EngagedGabháil
HoldCoinnigh
Hold handsCoinnigh lámha
HugBarróg
HusbandFear céile
GirlfriendChailín
KissPóg
LoverLeannán
MarriedPósta
RelationshipGaol
PartnerComhpháirtí
Teddy bearTeidí
WifeBean chéile
WhisperCogar

What Is Dating Like In Ireland?

The answer to that question largely depends on how old you are.

Although dating apps have taken over the world(like language apps), the older generations still date traditionally.

The most obvious place people would meet would be in a bar or pub. Ireland has a world-renowned drinking scene, so of course, people do most of their socializing in the pub.

It’s generalizable to say that the further back you go, the more traditional the people become, particularly around matters regarding dating and sex. Ireland has a strong catholic background (read the novels of James Joyce just to see how strong it once was). One hundred years ago, it was common in Irish society to get married very young, and many Irish women were forced into it in so-called shotgun marriages. 

Things you would associate with more traditional dating include going to a restaurant, the man paying for a meal, and having several dates before the idea of intimacy is raised.

Ireland mountain and ocean scenary - Dating in Ireland

What Is Dating Like In Ireland For Young People?

Ireland is one of the most liberal countries in the world, and as we already alluded to, it’s all about the dating apps. The most popular are:

Bumble- which allows women to initiate first contact.

Tinder- the app that originated hookup culture

Hinge- a more refined and classier Tinder where you might go for an actual relationship

Match.com– a dating site preferred by older people

Of course, the dating app field is very dynamic and apps fall in and out of popularity at the drop of a hat.

Psychological Data Regarding Dating Apps

While researching this article, I found an interesting piece of research that showed that 20% of people who use dating apps experienced a higher rate of depression than those who don’t.

The amount of time users spend on these apps is staggering, with the average 18-30-year-old spending 10 hours per week.

The current success rate of dating apps is about 40%- meaning people entering relationships from them.

However, it is easy to see why the other 60% would experience psychological distress.

A similar trend can be found on websites like Instagram. 1 in 3 teenage girls have shown a worsening body image because of the app, which lines up with the fact that 1 in 3 women use the app to alter their body image with filters, something which also seems to correlate with eating disorders.

I know personally male friends who have used dating apps and ultimately been left with a sense of hollowness.

One Irish guy living in Thailand in particular springs to mind. He was a very attractive man who had no problems at all securing matches and meetups. In fact, every time I saw him in the pub he was with a new girl.

One afternoon he went around to a girl’s house, and they hit it off really well. At the end of the date, he said they should have a second date, instantly making her angry. He couldn’t work out the problem until she replied, ”you don’t remember me, do you?” You were here 3 months ago. This is the second date.”

Dating in Ireland - men holding flowers

Learn Irish With Ling

As we’ve seen, the dating culture in Ireland is complicated, and online dating sites have only added more confusion to the mix. With all this technology, you’d think going on a first date and finding a serious relationship would be easier, but as we’ve seen, a success story is harder to find than you may think.

One uncontestable thing is that language learning apps don’t have dark sides like dating apps.

Unfortunately, there are limited places on the internet where to learn Irish. Although it isn’t a dying language, the future does not look bright as more and more kids focus on English and other major global languages.

Ling has a mission, and that mission is to keep languages like Irish alive and flourishing! You can find everything from Thai to Latvian to Bulgarian on the platform. The chances are that if there’s a lesser-known language that you’re interested in, Ling has it.

This Irish blog is a few years old now, and there’s a lot of material to get through if you’ve just arrived. My personal favorites are Irish culture and Irish wedding traditions.

Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you again soon.

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