Tonight's First Dates Ireland will pull at the heartstrings

There's nothing better than a cosy winter's evening in front of the fire, made even better by the return of First Dates Ireland on Thursday nights.

We're always left wanting more after an episode of the dating show and this week will no doubt be as entertaining as any other, if even a little heartbreaking.

Tonight, Tadgh from Carlow, who has never been in a relationship, shares a meal with Offaly drag queen Zach.

When asked in the First Dates Ireland set, "do you ever feel lonely?", Tadgh replies, "Yeah, I do."

During his date with Zach he tells him how he has never been in a relationship with or kissed another man before.

"You just get in such a pit of loneliness sometimes and you're like, oh my God like, genuinely, am I worth anything?"

You know what I mean like your friends are over there on the dancefloor shifting whoever they want and you're like, I got dressed up today, can nobody just appreciate this?

In a short clip released ahead of tonight's episode, Tadhg says that he is proud of who he is and he is proud to be gay.

"It's not the main thing about me. Me as a person, Tadhg is who I am."

“It’s not possible to say all the time… ‘I’m proud to be gay.’”#FirstDatesIRL pic.twitter.com/Gt2hgaAZFH

— RTÉ2 (@RTE2) January 22, 2019

It seems the stars might also have aligned for Leitrim’s Carol Ann and Co Monaghan’s Cathal on tonight's episode, with Carol's 'mystic' side making an impression on Cathal.

Might there be some sort of mystic connection between Carol Ann and Cathal?#FirstDatesIRL pic.twitter.com/RKlEDazwrO

— RTÉ2 (@RTE2) January 24, 2019

Meanwhile, Kildare-based mother of six Libby Sheehy will also make an appearance after her eldest daughter secretly filled out the application that led to her being set up with gardener Julian in tonight’s show.

The 65-year-old Texan has been a widow for 27 years after her Irish husband Morgan passed away.

Libby's date with Julian is the first she had been on in a while but she doesn't let the nerves get to her tonight.

We're rooting for all of the couples tonight and will have control of the remote with the kettle on and biscuits at the ready in time for 9.30pm.