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Older dating: meet other mature singles

Mature couple in a restaurant

Single later in life? You’re not alone. With a third of our members aged 50+, EliteSingles can help you safely experience older online dating for yourself. We use your search criteria and personality to introduce you to other like-minded members, and each new profile is verified to make sure those you see are genuine. Are you ready to start your new chapter? Register today and meet older singles with us.

The changing face of older dating in Ireland

As people start living longer, healthier lives, it’s only natural that middle-age stereotypes in Ireland are changing. Indeed, those aged 50+ today are free to be more active and outgoing than their predecessors. “Years ago when people got to their fifties they’d start thinking it was pipe and slippers time,” says Paula Hall from relationship counsellors Relate. “But increasing longevity means people have more time up their sleeves now, and they’re thinking more about what they really want to do with that time.”1

As a result, the mature dating pool is surprisingly large, particularly as the over-50s age group in Ireland is the demographic with the fastest-growing rate of divorce.2 Lisa Copeland,3 a leading over-50s dating coach and author of the site Find a Quality Man, notes that “over-50 is one of the biggest areas of divorce now,” presumably as people realise ”they still have a lot of life, a long life to live.’ Unlike previous generations who ”did not have options,” today’s older dating population seem to have nothing but opportunity.

Older dating: Ireland needs EliteSingles!

Despite the numbers, past a certain age it does become difficult to meet new singles, especially if you are part of a mostly-married group of friends. Consequentially, more older people than ever before are turning to advanced matchmaking websites such as EliteSingles to find a relationship with genuine compatibility. Lisa says ”now that online dating is so accepted, it is the standard way to really meet people. Dating over 50 is just the same as dating at 20 when it comes to how people think about it.”

She goes on to say “the best way for sure to meet people is online dating, because that is where you are going to find the most single people available all day, all night.” This is due to the fact that “there is no natural congregating place for people over 50 except online. That is why online dating is so huge for this age group. It is the place to hang out, like college was.” Indeed, so-called ‘senior’ dating is the fastest growing online dating group, year after year.4 As put by Claudia Dale, a 77 year old widow who is enjoying the thrills of older online dating, “dating is no longer the domain of the young. We who are young at heart, but not in years, want another go at it.”5

Whether you’re dating in Donegal, Cork, Sligo etc, EliteSingles is here to help you with the process of finding that special someone.

Expert tips for successful older dating

Of course it’s one thing to know that online dating is a valuable tool – but actually using it is quite another! With that in mind, EliteSingles talked to various dating experts to discover the three things you need to know about older dating in Ireland.

Sources:

1 Lincoln Archer, writing for the BBC, 2004. ‘Later life love – starting again at 50+’. Found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3996245.stm

2 From the Irish Independent, May 2012. ‘Divorce: you are the weakest link…goodbye.’ Found at http://www.independent.ie/style/sex-relationships/divorce-you-are-the-weakest-linkgoodbye-26857688.html

3 Lisa Copeland is a Huffington Post author and an expert in dating over 50. You can find her blog at http://www.findaqualityman.com/. All her quotes are from an exclusive 2013 interview with EliteSingles.

4 Ellen McCarthy, writing for the Washington Post, 2009. ‘More Seniors Jumping into the Online Dating Fray.’ Found at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/16/AR2009071604623.html

5 Claudia Dale, writing for The Guardian, 2014. ‘Why am I giving dating a go at 77.’ Found at http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/jul/24/giving-dating-a-go-at-77

6 Jocelyn Voo, writing for CNN, 2007. ‘Sex and dating after 50.’ Found at http://edition.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/personal/10/08/dating.after.50/

7 Liz Hodgkinson, featured in the the Irish Independent, 2015. ‘Sex in later life boosts memory and brain power.’ Found at http://www.independent.ie/life/health-wellbeing/health-features/sex-in-later-life-boosts-memory-and-brain-power-31063633.html

8 Sam Owen is a Psychologist and Relationship Coach who has worked extensively with EliteSingles. You can read her blog here or follow her on Twitter. All her quotes are from an exclusive 2014 interview with EliteSingles.

9 Janet Blair, writing for the Huffington Post, 2012. ‘Dating tips for post-50s,’ found at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janet-blair-page/post-50-dating-tips_b_1241889.html

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