First Dates Ireland recap: Marie and Denis teach us how to love again after losing someone
Denis and Marie, First Dates Ireland
Something special happens when a more mature couple meets in the First Dates Ireland restaurant and septuagenarians Marie and Denis are no exception. A widow for 11 years, Marie said she took part, not because she needs a man but because she’d like one. “I still don’t really need a person because I’m a survivor, I’ve learned, and I love life. But I’d love a man,” she said.
Across the two-metre-long table, Denis charmed her with tales of music, dancing and love. His wife passed away two years previously and they connected over their shared understanding of loss and grief. Marie, whose husband died of lung cancer, said she felt lonely for so long that she stopped talking about it. “You can’t keep telling people how lonely you are,” she said, heartbreakingly.
Denis, meanwhile, was with his wife for 56 years and felt her loss keenly. “The bit of loneliness is always there,” he said. He described the difficult situation of caring for his wife, who had Alzheimer’s, while he was undergoing treatment for colon cancer. “She didn’t know what I was going through but, thank God, I got through it.”
Denis and Marie’s date was special and emotional, but while Denis was interested in seeing her again, Marie thought he needed more time to process his grief, which he agreed with. “If I may say so, with the greatest of respect, I feel Denis has a little while to go yet to be on his own. I think he probably still is grieving. There is grief still there,” she said.
“I think Marie is spot on,” Denis replied. “Perhaps it’s not long enough yet. She’s the first person to say that to me and she’s on the ball.” While there was no second date on the horizon for these two, they parted amicably.
While we recovered from the emotional depths of Marie and Denis’s date, the events at the Thurles table was a welcome relief. Cian travelled to the date from Tipperary and spoke in advance about how it’s hard to find someone to date in a small town.
“You’ve got a lovely beard, full of secrets. A bit like Clonmel,” he told barman Ethan. He said many gay men leave rural areas to experience city life and to feel more open about their sexuality, something his date, Jason, agreed with. “I’ve never seen two men kiss in public back home. I’ve never even seen two men hold hands walking down the street,” Jason said.
It seems that might become a familiar sight in Clonmel after these two hit it off. After much laughter and fun, they agreed to meet again. “We just get on so well,” Jason said. “It would be an excuse to go back to Clonmel.”
Elsewhere in the restaurant, two other tables of daters were progressing happily. Mohawk-wearing Phil was wooing musician Rebecca in the hopes she’d fall for him the same way he fell off his skateboard as he was entering the restaurant.
“If you fall with style you never fell,” he claimed. No, Phil, we all saw you land on your arse on the telly. The only person who didn’t see it happen was ukelele-toting Rebecca who wanted a second date. “We had so much to talk about, he seems like such a cool guy,” she said before saying yes to this skater boy. They were so well suited to each other that we weren’t surprised.
Meanwhile, Tracy and Karl were sharing their experiences of single parenthood. Both raising two children each, they were delighted to find they both wanted the same thing: a long-term relationship and stability. Tracy tugged on our heartstrings when she described losing her first child to cot death at just three months, while Karl spoke about the loss of his mum, who died three months earlier.
On a lighter note, Tracy recalled the time she was arrested in New York for running onto a pitch after a match, All-Ireland-style, and being tackled to the ground by police. Karl said he enjoyed the “good company, good chat. It ended too quick. We could have sat there another hour or so chatting.” A great sign. These two are planning date number two. Perhaps a trip to Croker?
