Dublin has been named the best county in Ireland to find love this Valentine’s Day, according to newly released research that suggests where you live can dramatically affect your chances of meeting a partner.
With Saturday, February 14 approaching — and growing numbers of people saying that dating feels harder amid rising living costs and the expense of nights out — a new county-by-county analysis has revealed stark differences in Ireland’s romantic landscape.
The Ireland Love Luck Index, compiled by Casino.org Ireland, ranks all 26 counties based on where single people are statistically most likely to meet a partner. Dublin tops the table with a perfect score, while Roscommon comes in last, with the longest odds in the country.
According to the findings, singles in Dublin are around seven times more likely to meet a partner than those living in Roscommon.
Dublin scores 100 out of 100, translating to roughly 1-in-8 odds of meeting someone this Valentine’s.
At the opposite end, Roscommon, Monaghan, and Offaly each score 14 out of 100, with odds closer to 1 in 57.
Waterford, Sligo, Galway, and Kerry also emerge as strong contenders outside the capital, offering comparatively favourable dating conditions despite smaller populations.
Dublin – 100/100 (1 in 8)
Waterford – 51/100 (1 in 16)
Sligo – 46/100 (1 in 17)
Galway – 45/100 (1 in 18)
Kerry – 40/100 (1 in 20)
Roscommon – 14/100 (1 in 57)
Monaghan – 14/100 (1 in 57)
Offaly – 14/100 (1 in 56)
Cavan – 16/100 (1 in 49)
Kilkenny – 17/100 (1 in 47)
Researchers stressed that the rankings weren’t simply a case of bigger counties performing better. Instead, analysts examined thousands of county-level data points to assess what genuinely improves real-world dating prospects.
These included:
The size of the available dating pool
Rates of people living alone
Migration and newcomer churn
The number of places to meet in real life, such as pubs, venues, and leisure spaces
Dating app activity across Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble
Lifestyle factors, including commuting, renting, and work-from-home patterns
Speaking about the results, JJ Lee, Odds & Entertainment Expert at Casino.org Ireland, said:
“It’s easy to assume Dublin wins by default, but we made sure the ranking wasn’t just ‘biggest county equals best county’. We looked at what actually changes your chances in real life — the available dating pool, how many people are living independently, how many places there are to meet someone, how active the apps look locally, and the lifestyle factors that affect how social people can be.”
He added:
“Dublin comes out on top with the shortest odds, while Roscommon has the longest — and the counties in between are where it gets interesting. Waterford and Sligo stand out in particular as strong alternatives to the capital heading into Valentine’s Day.”
To put Dublin’s dominance into context, analysts also examined 30 major European cities. The Irish capital ranked 6th overall for ‘dating momentum’, placing it in the top tier alongside cities such as Amsterdam and Lisbon.
This measure compared positive dating signals — including searches related to date planning and nightlife — against terms linked to modern dating frustrations like “ghosting” and “situationships”.
The result suggests that Dublin isn’t just Ireland’s strongest dating hub — it’s also competing at a European level.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, the research highlights a widening gap between urban and rural dating opportunities — and suggests that for singles looking for love, location may matter more than ever.
