In this weekly feature, Her.ie goes behind enemy lines to see what it’s really like to be single in Ireland. From speed dating to making speedy escapes, our no-holds-barred blog will follow our attempts to venture into the dating jungle, play the field and share any wisdom that we finds along the way.

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Breaking Up Is Hard To Do Ok ladies, you made need to sit down for this. I had a date... and it actually went quite well. The suitor in question was tall and his profile photo was pretty attractive so after a some interesting conversation, I was ready to complete the holy trinity of my recent dates. (Current Score - Boredom 2: Cupid 0). It all started on the wrong foot when it took ages to find an evening that suited but eventually the date was set and the venue (a cosy bar close to my neighbourhood) was chosen. Unfortunately, things went from bad to worse when I got caught in a snow shower and came down with a particularly nasty flu the day before our date. Going on the date now seemed on the same pain level as getting poked in the eye but having been on the receiving end of a last-minute cancellation or two, I didn't want to be the bad guy and decided to have a sneaky power-nap and then put my game face on. So, it was a tired and underwhelmed lady that arrived to meet Date Number Three. When my man for the night arrived, I was happy to see that he mostly fitted his description (I say mostly as there's no way he was the height on his profile, stop lying boys!) and we fell into an easy banter. Long story short - drinks were had, subsequent texts were exchanged and a possible second date is in the works. When there isn't fireworks on the first date, it can be hard to know whether to progress but after the misery of Date Two with Fr Stone, this guy is definitely worth another shot. My plans for romance may be progressing slowly but our London-based reader Anita has been swept off her feet recently by a dashing Sligo man... take it away, Anita! "Daryl was a completely forgotten about Tinder match from a few months back. We had sent each other a few messages but nothing had come off it so I was pretty surprised when his name flashed up on my phone at the beginning of December. A fellow Irish native, we seemed pretty at ease with each other so I didn’t hesitate when he suggested that we meet for a drink. We met on a Friday night for a few drinks and he was great. Hoorah! Could this be a Tinder success? I wasn’t sure but I decided to take a gamble and invite him to my house-warming party the very next night. So on day two, he met some of my nearest and dearest and despite his nerves, he was a big hit with my friends. Unfortunately though, I wasn’t so sure. Yes, Daryl was great and hadn’t put a foot wrong but I just didn’t look at him as a potential BF, more like a friend or even a brother. Yes, I know I’m an idiot! So just before Christmas, Daryl got relegated to the friend-zone. As you’ll probably figured out by now, I’m the villain of this piece. Daryl, to give him his dues, took the news well. He told me that he respected my decision and that he hoped to change my mind… basically adding to my compounding guilt. Over the next few weeks, Daryl tried to change my mind. However, there was just one small problem. Irish men are not all that great at romance. Don’t get me wrong, Irish men are great. They are probably the funniest in the world but when it comes to romance they can be a little off the mark. To win my affections, Daryl tried his hand at poetry. Now a normal guys attempt at poetry looks like this: “And in her eyes I see something more beautiful than the stars.” – Beth Revis Poetry from a Sligo man looks dramatically different but I do have to commend Daryl for his efforts. On New Year’s Eve, I woke up to five verses of 'Irish romance'. It went like this: So I’ve landed at home and I’ve mentioned your name, And you never will know what I’ve said all to them That I don’t often wreck on to the lads all at home, That someone has actually grabbed me by the whole.   So this isn’t me saying that I’m falling for you Nor will I propose to that fourth date real soon, but damn it I’m not a real man to hold back, and forgive me to say that I’ll never be slack.   I’m all in for the trying for the spark you can’t see, for the thing that’s so obviously clearly for me. You crave someone special, not many possess, but give me the chance to really progress.   I’m lying and wonder if I can be a good friend, but all I really want is to be your boyfriend. Now Neeta, or whatever your name is for short. will you try, and please see, that I am a good sort.   I never do write something cheesy like this, but I desperately wonder if we can actually dismiss, the potential of something you clearly can’t see is that I should be with you, and you should be with me. Needless to say, upon reading this WhatsApp masterpiece, I went weak at the knees. I literally fell down laughing. W.B Yeats remains the only great poet to hail from Sligo. And Daryl remains securely in the friendzone." Harsh, Anita! We definitely think he deserves another chance after that effort! We want to hear your dating stories! Email us at hello@her.ie or tweet us @Herdotie with #shiftyfirstdates. See you next Wednesday!