'I Can't Wait To Spend My Future With The Girl I Love': First Dates Ireland Sees Its First Proposal

A video on Twitter shows Shannon proposing to Ciara at her 21st birthday party.

First Dates' First Proposal - Shannon and Ciara on the dating show.

Fans of the Irish edition of First Dates are still reeling after RTE shared a video of the first proposal to come from a successful match on the dating show.

The network shared a video on their Twitter of Shannon proposing to Ciara at her 21st birthday. The couple met on the dating show a year and a half ago, and have been together ever since.

The video shows Shannon on the stage, telling the revellers that she asked Ciara’s parents for permission to propose over the holidays:

“I asked Pat there the other night, I was on the phone to her. Ciara doesn’t know this, but I was saying to her, over Christmas I was talking to them and I was asking them for their permission to…”

Shannon then leaves the stage and approaches Ciara to get down on one knee. The video shows Ciara accepting, before Mark McCabe’s Maniac is blasted from the speakers.

As First Dates’s first proposal went viral, Shannon spoke to The Independent about their relationship:

“Even though we just met a year and a half ago, it’s honestly like we’ve known each other our whole lives.

“While I was waiting for Ciara on First Dates, I had a few sips of a very strong cocktail just to calm the nerves.

“I was looking in the reflection of the glass in front of me when she walked in and as soon as I turned around, she bought me a Baby Guinness. I think I fell in love with her there and then.

“After the show, Ciara went back to the farm in Monaghan, but we stayed in contact with one another via Snapchat.

“Then very soon after things got serious and we thankfully became inseparable.”

Shannon continued:

“We were at a big family reunion in Monaghan, which was a really great chance to bond with her parents. I asked her mam if she would be OK if I married Ciara and if I could use her engagement ring to propose.”

Ciara told the newspaper:

“My jaw literally hit the floor, it came to me as a complete surprise. I got so nervous, all I could really say was ‘I suppose I will.’ But I know I’ve made the right decision and I can’t wait to spend my future with the girl I love.”

© 2019 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

Support GCN

GCN has been a vital, free-of-charge information service for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988.

During this global COVID pandemic, we like many other organisations have been impacted greatly in the way we can do business and produce. This means a temporary pause to our print publication and live events and so now more than ever we need your help to continue providing this community resource digitally.

GCN is a registered charity with a not-for-profit business model and we need your support. If you value having an independent LGBTQ+ media in Ireland, you can help from as little as €1.99 per month. Support Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.

0 comments. Please sign in to comment.