Dive into the world of Irish dating and social life with our Student Ambassador, Ava Urquidez, as your guide.
Irish people are well-known for their kindness; in fact, they are considered the kindest people in the world. I could not agree more with this statement. When I first arrived, my mother and I could not find directions to the Forty Foot in Dun Laoghaire and a man offered to walk us thirty minutes all the way there so that we had no chance of getting lost again…as an American, I had never experienced when someone goes out of their way to help a stranger to such an extent and I am very grateful for it.
However, dating and socialising as a university student in Ireland is a completely different topic. When you turn 18 and begin university, the way you socialise largely becomes tied with pub culture, some clubbing (if you want), and general drinking. Trinity College Dublin even has an on-campus pub called the Pavilion! We have Pav Fridays, which are a student celebration at the Pavilion of getting through a week of classes. Another way to socialise is by joining university clubs and societies. It is never too late to join them or stay in them, but I do recommend joining for some time so you may meet some new friends. There are numerous clubs and societies in all of the universities in Dublin, so you’re guaranteed to be interested in at least one!
Dublin is also a very lively city if you get to know it well; there are loads of events happening within the university and outside of the university that give people a chance to meet others or go out with friends and enjoy a nice time. Events include summer festivals, live gigs at pubs, poetry readings at pubs, speaker events, and more. You do sometimes have to search for them though, so do be on the lookout!
If you aren’t too interested in nightlife, that is ok! There are delicious cafés in Dublin to enjoy coffee culture and beautiful architecture and historical and cultural museums to explore. Dublin is Ireland’s capital city and therefore has amazing art as well, with several art galleries and exhibitions. The Emerald Isle also has gorgeous hiking trails–you may stay close to Dublin and visit Howth, Bray, or Greystones, or visit anywhere from the counties of Cork to Sligo for amazing hiking (just be sure to always check the weather forecast!).
From an American perspective, dating in Dublin is very different. There is a large Irish community and a large international community so conversing with dissimilar people in contrasting ways will result, again, differently. While people are extremely kind and friendly as strangers, they are oftentimes nervous and shy and may not approach someone else when they find someone attractive. I recommend being bold, but kind, of course, and going up to people because it breaks any tension much easier.
Ava Urquidez is studying Political Science at Trinity College via Education in Ireland