Minister ‘is not looking for fun’ on Tinder

Dating app Tinder may be a strange place to find the face of Drugs Minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, but one user decided he’d have a better chance of scoring with the opposite sex if he used a picture of the Labour TD.

Mr Ó Ríordáin was rather bemused to find a scowly-looking shot of him was being used by “Paul” and took to Twitter to reassure the nation’s women it was not him using a fake name.

Paul’s Tinder message to potential dates was short, and slightly strange, stating: “35 years old not 55. Only looking for daytime fun and nothing else.”

The minister was alerted to the identity theft by a friend and took to social media to clear up any confusion about its authenticity.

Mr Ó Ríordáin said his office erupted in laughter when he told co-workers about the phony profile using his picture.

The hook-up app allows people to swipe the screen in order to express interest in, or reject, fellow users — with a match leading to a possible date.

If two users like each other, they are alerted to the fact they are a “match” and are then able to chat within the app.

Mr Ó Ríordáin, whose ministerial responsibilities also include equality issues, took a stand against bullying after he revealed he was victimised at school and dubbed “Gaydan Ó Queerdon” by some fellow pupils.