First Dates Ireland
The most romantic restaurant in Ireland has opened its doors to a new batch of dating hopefuls. Jess O’Sullivan catches up with maître d’ Mateo to find out what’s in store this time around
Cupid’s arrow doesn’t always y straight on First Dates Ireland, but for fans of the show, that is exactly where the magic lies. Whether it makes you ‘ooh’ with unease or ‘aah’ with delight, it turns out that having a front row seat to the most awkwardly endearing moments of a couple’s rst rendezvous makes for TV gold. Now in its fourth series, First Dates Ireland has gone from strength to strength, and this year alone producers were inundated with applicants. Over six thousand people on the hunt for love, and quite possibly, their 15 minutes of fame, threw their hat in the ring for selection.
But what gives the show its magic? Maître’d, Mateo Saina, who has been with the show from the start, says that it’s the daters who make the show special. “Everyone who walks through the doors has a story to tell. ey are there because they are open to the possibility of nding love and each brings their own freshness to it. Add to that the restaurant sta and the production team who are all enthusiastic about the possibility of love, and it makes it really special.” It’s been an exciting year for Mateo Saina, who welcomed his rst child in May, a gorgeous little girl, with his long-term partner. e doting dad even allows his new arrival her rst TV appearance when he introduces his bundle of joy to the rest of his team. However he hasn’t let any sleepless nights a ect his cool and collected demeanour, doling out words of encouragement to nervous daters. In fact, he doesn’t even mind the dirty nappies: “Once it happens to you, it is so amazing. e joy it brings. Yes, there is changing dirty nappies, but any parent knows what an unbelievable bond you have with your own kid. My daughter is the biggest love of my life.”
Watching the couples on the show makes Mateo feel extra lucky that he found his other half already. “Dating is hard, so I am very lucky to have found the one woman for me. To have the chance to nd my own love and now the product of this love is a family. It’s also great to help other people nd it as well. I’m a lucky man in life and in love.” He also feels lucky that he never had to engage in dating apps like Tinder in his time, and he thinks there is still a place for shows like First Dates that bring people face to face in such a vulnerable way. “I think because the dating world has changed so much. It’s all about online and Tinder, and showing only part of you. is is about the old-fashioned way. To sit down and give another person, who you’ve been matched with, a chance for two hours, and not just look at a picture and swipe this way and that. You get to know the person, who they are and what interests them. It’s not automatically judged on the look or however old you say you are on your pro le.”
Mateo has been living in Ireland for the last 14 years but says fatherhood may influence whether he stays in Ireland or returns to his native Croatia so his daughter can be closer to her loving grandparents. “I love Ireland, but it is tough. You want the grandparents to live beside their granddaughter... I am constantly Skyping with my parents so they get to see her. But it’s not the same. So yes, it is always on my mind.” He reveals that one of the things he has come to love about Ireland is the Irish mindset: “I love the positivity and humour of Irish people. ere is a willingness to change things for the better. I’m thinking of the crash here and how Irish people dealt with the di cult problems it brought. Ireland is progressive in nature - gay marriage, and such. I love that Ireland nds a way to deal with heavy issues and has a ghting spirit.”
Speaking of a positive attitude, one of the highlights of the rst episode is undoubtedly the rst ever mother and daughter double date on the show which impressed Mateo no end. For most Irish people, even being set up by your parent is bad enough, so it would be hard to imagine a situation more embarrassing than going on a double date with one of them. But Delia (22) and her mum Amy (53), from Wicklow, were happy enough to take on their potential partners as a duo. Kicking o by ordering shots at the bar from bemused master barman Ethan, suitors Drogheda supermarket manager Cian (23) and old fashioned romantic Donie (56) from Wexford, had the tough job of keeping up. Mateo says that they were a joy to have in the restaurant. “Both have really healthy fun personalities who accept the world they way it is. I mean that the daughter is happy her mother is dating, that it’s a regular thing, and she’s not thinking her mother is too old to date. She knows that people move on, and nd a new love. We have a short time in this world and we need to enjoy it. ey had this great approach and brought it with them to the restaurant so everyone loved them.”
is year, there’s also a new face on Mateo’s team as Libby joins the First Dates Ireland crew. Libby has been waitressing since she was a teenager and a er spending two years in New York, she moved back to Dublin, working in restaurants ever since. Now nds herself working at Ireland’s most romantic restaurant, learning the ropes from the bubbly series regulars, waiters Pete and Alice, as well as how to keep a straight face. Aside from her job, Libby likes to keep t and go sea swimming. But the month of January is when she gets to truly shine at her favourite hobby: “My speciality is joining gyms and then... never going to them. But being on my feet and serving tables is enough exercise, right?” Mateo thinks that Libby has brought a good balance to the team. “She’s cool, so downto-earth, nice and polite and so spoken. She really added another dimension to the sta , especially with some of the loud mouths we have. I’m not going to mention names! She and Alice got on like a house on re and I would o en see them out of the corner of my eye getting up to some mischief. Libby is like our daters, single and looking for love, so she knows what it’s like for them.”
First Dates Ireland is back, with plenty of charisma, cringe and even a new baby to enthral viewers. Jess O’Sullivan reports on what to expect as the fourth series begins