First Dates recap: Family affair as two daters bring their mams along to dinner
Luke, Laura, Aimee and Ryan on First Dates Ireland
Would you bring your mother along to a first date? That’s exactly what next-door neighbours and best friends Aimee and Laura did - and even Mateo seemed overwhelmed, muting “oh man, there’s trouble” as the four women made their way into the restaurant. All the mammies were concerned about was ensuring they’d have a good view of both dates from their table.
Cork soldier Ryan arrives and is led to a table with Aimee, where they chat about work and accents, although Ryan’s eye is often drawn to the older women dining nearby, especially when one takes a selfie with their table behind her - he doesn’t know yet it’s her mam.
Meanwhile, Laura is introduced to Luke. “He’s chatty too, she’ll like that,” her mother observes from afar. Luke is a self-proclaimed nerd and says he’s looking for someone arty and creative, “the opposite of me”.
Luke is left speechless when Laura is asked to go join another diner in the bathroom and she walks away mid-sentence with Aimee and their mothers. “I don’t know what just happened,” he says to himself, looking unsettled.
When she returns and explains Aimee is her neighbour, he seems more confident, but he’s completely thrown when Laura waves at two women leaving the bathroom moments later. “That’s my mum, she’s been there the whole time,” she says, pointing to the table over his shoulder. The poor guy. Laura insists on paying for both of their dinners, much to the overseeing mammies’ dismay.
Ryan learns about the family connection closer to the end of his date when Aimee’s mam sends a message over with the waiter to her daughter. He laughs it off, saying he thought the two women were on a date. “Ye’d make a fine couple,” he calls over.
So, were the boys turned off by the family affair? Luke seemed keen but to his disappointment, Laura said no to another date as she felt he was too similar to some of her friends for her to consider a romantic relationship. It was a better outcome for Aimee and Ryan, who were “a match made in heaven” according to the table of mams.
They agreed to see each other again and Aimee said they had no awkward moments during their date. “Apart from when you told me your mam was sitting behind us,” Ryan reminded her.
Dummer Cillian says he’s looking for someone “normal”, but says his recovery from alcohol addiction has prevented many women from committing to a relationship. He says dating while sober is terrifying, but his date with musician Janneke struck the right chord to ease him back into the world of romance.
Cillian opened up about the pain he felt after losing his dad, saying it made him change his life and quit drinking. Janneke says he should join her folk band to avoid the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. “We’ll drink tea and sit on the floor.” (Can I join her band, that sounds ideal?)
Janneke says she found him easy to talk to and she thinks he’s brave for turning his life around. Cillian says her reaction to hearing he was in recovery didn’t seem to phase her. They agreed to be friends but plan to stay in touch to talk about music.
Helen knows exactly what kind of man she’s looking for: “Clarke Gable.” No pressure for Ian, who says he’s “a bit of an oddball” and arrives to woo her. They both work as chefs; will it be a recipe for love?
Ian says he ended up living in his parents’ home after his relationship ended, back in the room he left at 16. Helen too returned to her family home for a time after selling her house. She tragically lost her first love at a young age and met her husband two years later. They split amicably as she realised she couldn’t give him the relationship he deserved. She says: “My heart died with Dave.”
Ian says he was in a band in his younger days and he played pool with Shane McGowan in the 80s when he was living in London. Both he and Helen have travelled and have similar interests in music and even DIY. They hit it off and it was a resounding yes to a second date.
