TV presenter Anna Geary appeared on RTÉ's Today programme this afternoon ahead of the first episode of her new dating show hitting screens this evening.
Love in the Country follows six rural singletons looking for love and kicks off on RTÉ2 at 9.30pm on Monday night, with Geary promising that the show is "very heartwarming" and will make viewers both laugh and cry.
Speaking about the Irish dating scene, Geary told Today presenters Daithí Ó Sé and Sinéad Kennedy, "It's difficult for anybody to find love now no matter where you are, but particularly in rural Ireland, where you don't have a bustling nightlife just down the road.
"The pub scene isn't what it used to be either, and if you did go over to your local pub, everybody would know you - you don't want to be going there on a date."
The presenter said that the show "traveled the length and breath of Ireland with people from in their 20s all the way up to their 50s just looking for love. And I suppose I get to be almost like their wing woman slash confidante."
Geary said that the show is an international format, known mainly as Farmer Wants A Wife and that it combines humour with heartwarming personal stories.
"We fuse humor and love because we've all been on dates where things haven't gone according to plan and I think what's brilliant about this - we all get to be like a fly on the wall, almost like a social experiment, watching for the dos and don'ts of dating."
"It's very funny, but it's also very, very heartwarming. You'll be laughing and you could be crying in some episodes as well."
Tonight, viewers will meet 20-year-old student and sheep farmer Alanagh Loftus from Roscommon, with Geary saying, "[But] it’s not just about farmers - it's about people that might be tied to their locality for one reason or another."
Geary continued, "We have a café owner, a principal, a butcher. A lot of people can't go outside their locality looking for love, so we're bringing it to them."
When Ó Sé asked Geary what people peoples’ priorities are when looking for a partner, Geary responded, "It’s not always about tearing clothes off the other person!
"Look, there's companionship. There's someone that can make you laugh. There's someone that can make you a good fry on a Sunday morning – people are looking for lots of different loves."
Love in the Country starts Monday 2 October on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player at 9.30pm.
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