Courting

‘Courting is a wonderfully empathic and inclusive book about love and community and all the different ways people can build a good life.’―Patrick Freyne

Looking for love – the most human quest of them all – has been transformed in recent years, with new technology removing the need to be in ‘the right place at the right time’. Dating has never been more convenient, varied or disposable and we Irish have taken to it with gusto ... and not just in cities.

Courting: Tractor Dates, Macra Babies and Swiping Right in Rural Ireland tells a variety of honest and touching stories of trying to meet The One in a rural setting, where the ingredients for successful dating – choice, proximity, free time and, for some, alcohol and anonymity – aren’t always guaranteed. Liadán Hynes travels from family farms to tiny islands, village pubs to remote communities, to sit down with childhood sweethearts, long-lost loves and singles, ever hopefuls and lonely hearts, as they navigate this quest through tractor dates, Macra, dating apps and more. They candidly describe swiping for love and moving for it, hooking up and settling down, all while inheriting a 24/7 farm job or coming out, returning to the home place or joining the pandemic exodus.

Revealing the importance of community, diversity and, above all, hope and resilience, Courting is an insightful and unique window into dating in rural Ireland today.