First Dates farmer has sights set on Rose of Tralee
By Sarah Slevin
Rathowen woman Julieanne Moran has described her stint on RTÉ’s First Dates last month as "an experience of a lifetime" and now has her eyes set on the Rose of Tralee.
Julieanne Moran (21) was a bit hit with viewers when she appeared on the TV dating show in January.
The Rathowen farmer was matched up with 23-year-old Luke from County Down and she told the Westmeath Examiner that she loved the experience.
"I had never done anything like it before in my life; everyone was so enthusiastic and it’s almost like being in a romance novel and we’re all the characters," she said.
"It depends on who you get on your date, I was very lucky that I got Luke because we hit it off straight away," Julieanne added.
Despite loving the show and the experience, Julieanne did not send in her own application, rather one of her Centre Parcs co-workers did.
"I didn’t apply for it myself, one of my work friends thought it’d be hilarious and that I’d be gas on it, and I never thought twice about it, but I am a big lover of the show, I always watch it with my sisters," Julieanne said.
Julieanne said she was impressed with her match-up but she did admit there was one hiccup which ultimately made things difficult for her romance to fully blossom – Luke living in County Down.
"If only the distance was closer, that’s the only fault. It was a shame because we got on so well and everything was 100 per cent, and he was ticking all the boxes apart from that," Julieanne said.
The Rathowen woman had initially kept her First Dates stint a secret from close friends, her dad, three sisters and brother.
"I didn’t tell my family or friends for ages. The only ones that knew were the girls at work – which was funny," Julieanne said.
On the show, Julieanne chatted all about her farming background and her love of animals, as she is studying agriculture in Letterkenny.
However, there was another thing close to her heart that did not make the final cut on television.
"They do edit it a bit, and I had talked about something else I am passionate about – I’d be quite into advocating for mental health and doing charity work," Julieanne said.
Julieanne explained how she would love to do more work in the mental health field, but she also has another big goal in life.
"I plan to go for the Rose of Tralee when I’m around 26 or 27. I religiously watch that every year. I have always wanted to do it and I will give it a good whack when I do," Julieanne said.
First Dates Ireland airs Thursdays 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and on RTÉ Player.