It’s OFFICIAL, First Dates Ireland will return this week

The restaurant is back open. Great news for fans of the show.

While the majority of us might be feeling a bit down now that the Christmas season is over, there's one thing that's bound to get the excitement levels up, the return of our favourite TV shows. Ok, time to take a deep breath because we're getting new seasons of the following: Succession, Line of Duty, Killing Eve, Narcos, Sex Education, Ozark, The Crown, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Sinner, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Better Call Saul, Fargo, The Boys, and loads more are all set to return with new seasons. Aside from this, there's also the small matter of every brand new show too. Yep, we instantly feel better! However, with so many titles to choose from, it's easy to overlook one of the best shows on Irish TV and our own version of First Dates. As stated previously, we're massive fans of the show because aside from the funny, awkward, and sweet interactions that participants have with each other, the show is excellent at handling the more serious issues too. Well, we're delighted to say that the new season of First Dates Ireland starts this week at 9.30pm on Thursday, 9 January on RTÉ2. In terms of what fans can expect in the opening episode, the official synopsis states: "Maitre D' Mateo opens the doors of the restaurant to welcome a new line-up of singletons as they embark upon blind dates. "First up are double daters Mary and Martina from Limerick, twins who do not share the same taste in men. Will clean-cut Sulvester and dashing stonemason David be what they're looking for? Meanwhile, animation student Eric is worried that his stammer might ruin his date, while unrepentant ladies' man Barry-John from south Dublin meets his match in feisty model Katarina from Laois." We can't wait to see what's in store.