Anna Geary on the challenges singletons in rural Ireland face trying to find love

TV star Anna Geary has said she believes the closure of nightclubs in rural areas is among the challenges for singletons hoping to find love in the country.

The All-Ireland camogie captain is back for a second series of hosting RTE’s Love in the Country tonight. Speaking ahead of the second series, Anna opens up about the challenges cupid is facing.

The Cork star said: "It was new to Irish screens last year. You’re always a little bit nervous, you know it is a great show, but you hope that everyone else can connect with it.

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"The feedback was amazing. I suppose being at the helm of it, you’re invested, and you want to love it as much as you do.

"Having grown up myself in rural Ireland, a lot of people liked the fact that it shone a light that exists in rural Ireland to meet people.

"The way in which people met, even back when my parents met. My parents met at a dance hall. That doesn’t exist anymore.

"Even I suppose a local pub scene would’ve been much more bustling than it is now.

"A lot of people from rural Ireland – they are moving to bigger towns and bigger cities. There are less and less people that are around.

"They were saying to me on the show this year and last year that when you’re from a small place and everyone knows everybody, it limits the pool.

PIC SHOWS: Love in the Country logo

"Some of them never tried dating apps, it wasn’t for them and some of them tried but didn’t get much success.

"There’s no other options and nightclubs even, they are gone.

"If you have less and less outlets to meet somebody, we’re not really replacing those outlets.

"Theres so many people in the 40s and 50s and some in their 60s, they talked about wanting to genuinely meet someone."

The mum-of-one is bursting to reveal her observations about the dating world nowadays, but insists she is no love guru.

"This is one of the things that I have - as if I’m a love guru here - but what I have observed is people's communicating styles are different and the frequency at which they expect the communication is different.

"One of the key things I say to couples is that they need to have a conversation about what works for you because if one person feels texting every day is too much and the other person feels that you’re clearly not interested in me because you haven’t texted for five days, that's when things break down.

"I saw that, I saw it this year and last year and it is not because there is no traction or no interest. One person gets the wrong end of the stick from the other.

"We need to establish the expectation bar at the start, especially in a world where we are constantly connected. There’s no real excuse to not be in contact with someone regularly."

Anna Geary appearing on The Late Late Show
(Image: RTE)

And the Ireland’s Fittest Family host admitted friends and family members appear to have too much of a say in someone's love life.

"I find it really depends on friendship circles and family circles. It’s the people that are in their ear often have more of a decision or a stake in the decision than the person themselves.

"Be very clear who you are asking for feedback and advice because they could have their own agenda."

The former Dancing With The Stars contestant believes bringing back dancing and the rise in jiving could connect people again.

"I think dancing connects people in a way. When you are going out dancing with someone, it means you don’t have to talk.

Anna Geary with her father Michael at her wedding

"Jiving is great. You’re connecting but there is not a whole pile of talking. There’s so much energy. You can’t dance and be in bad form.

"Any form of movement will boost your mood and probably give you more tolerance and ignore the things that would often annoy you.

"Sometimes we all need to get out of her own way and stop overthinking things and stop looking for the perfect scenario or the perfect date or the perfect person and just throw caution to the wind."

Anna said people “need to get out of their own way” and find the confidence again to date.

"You need to get out of your own way. If the only thing that is stopping you, is the fear of that other people are thinking of you, if that is stopping you from potentially finding a partner, to me, we need to rethink the ways we meet people."

She said that even though some daters didn’t find love on the show, they found love after it.

"It’s very much a show that people are in your corner. I want people to meet people but failing that is what you’re actually doing is putting yourself out on a national platform and saying ‘hey, I’m here and I’m looking to meet somebody’ and people in their sitting rooms are getting to know you and you might get a WhatsApp or slide into her DMs.

"One of the daters that was on the first season, I met her a few months later, told me her DMs lit up.

"It’s putting yourself out there."

This year’s hopefuls hail from all around the country:

42-year-old Breda Larkin from Ballinasloe is a Beef Farmer & Comedian, and is looking for a lady interested in her land!

PIC SHOWS: Danielle Cusack (34) in her garden in Co. Laois.

Danielle Cusack, 34, from Co. Laois is an equine vet who needs someone who can work around her busy schedule.

43-year-old farmer and sea swimmer Gerard Mahoney wants to show off the beautiful Sheepshead Peninsula in West Cork, and would love to meet someone happy to relocate to there.

‘Texas Ollie’ is in his 70s and says that age is only a number. He’s a horse trainer who is looking for companionship on his ranch in Glenties Co. Donegal, and any interested women must love horses!

Dylan Swift is 21 and a surfer and outdoor instructor from Achill.

And 34-year-old Jack Allen from Cavan is a caricature artist who would love to meet someone special to share his passions.

"This year, we had a 21-year-old, he was on the show to get experience. He was honest, he said he didn’t know how to speak to women because he didn’t date.

"Definitely the younger daters in it find it hard with communication because everything now is WhatsApp and DMs. They can be this amazing person online and they find it incredibly difficult to sit across from someone and make small talk.

"He was exhausted after his speed dating but he said he was more confident in himself and I definitely saw a change.

"Then you’ve people who are looking to settle down and start a family and then you’ve got the other end of the spectrum of people in their 70s wanting to start a family.

"That’s incredible because it reminds people that no matter who you are or your age or sexual preference, everyone is entitled to find love if they are looking for it.

"It’s even gone up a level this year about who we have and the different demographics that we have. People will really connect with their stories on the show," she added.

Love In The Country airs October 7 on RTÉ Two at 9.35pm