Where do Irish singles like to go for dates? Forget dinner! According to a 2011 study by Irish dating and personals website, AnotherFriend.com, it turns out that singles in today’s Ireland want a casual evening with plenty of one-on-one time for getting-to-know one another over a cup of coffee or a few drinks at the local pub.

While pubs can be found throughout the world, the Irish pub has become a concept, not just in other countries, where Irish-themed pubs have become quite popular over the past decade or so, but in Ireland itself. With tourism embracing the pub scene and travel brochures touting the Irish pub culture, dance and music, many pubs in Ireland have adapted to feed that audience. 

Still, pubs in Ireland are places where people can gather to have a good time in a neutral place, where everyone is included and equal. Socializing in a pub is all about face-to-face interaction — conversation, which can be refreshing in today’s world of technology and social media.

The Irish pub has long been central to community life. Dubbed a “third place” – like hair salons, libraries, arcades, book stores and coffee shops – pubs are anchors of community life where members of the community can gather when they are not at home or work to foster relationships and interact with others in an informal setting.

This facilitation of face-to-face interaction is important to Irish singles in the dating scene, it would seem. Survey results uncovered by AnotherFriend.com indicate that singles in Ireland are serious about finding that perfect mate, preferring to forego what they deem juvenile venues like movie theaters or bowling alleys in favor of the more mature surroundings of a pub. 

For most Irish people, according to the report, Love Uncovered, which summarizes the Another Friend.com survey findings, dating is an activity that doesn’t come naturally. Unlike the United States, where dating is a scene in and unto itself, dating in Ireland does not play a significant role in the Irish culture.

The study by the 10-year-old dating website took a close look at the attitudes of Ireland’s singles about relationships. Over 1,700 men and women, singles from all four of Ireland’s provinces — Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster — took a five-minute, 36 question survey that included questions about dating, relationships, love and marriage.

Survey results revealed that:

• Irish singles are looking for someone to spend quality time with, not just someone they are physically attracted to, although sexual compatibility was a key consideration — right behind personality and faithfulness.
• The majority of singles in Ireland are looking for “the one,” that person they will spend the rest of their lives with.
• Those in the dating scene take the search for their future partner very seriously, with 73 percent of those surveyed indicating that they wanted to be married, spending the rest of their lives with one special person.
• In that special person, the survey revealed, singles considered personality the most important compatibility factor in a serious, long-term relationship, followed by looks (men, towards women) and job and financial position (women towards men)

How do you think you would do in today’s Irish dating scene? Would your idea of the ideal first date take place in a coffee shop or pub, or do you prefer dinner and move? We’d love to know.