OOH LA la! When it comes to romance, the Irish are only trotting behind the French and Italian, according to the findings of a new survey.
The TNS/mrbi survey asked more than 1,000 Irish adults to name the most romantic nation.
Some 32 per cent of Irish people opted for the French while 22 per cent singled out the Italians.
Just 18 per cent thought that their fellow countrymen and women were the most romantic nationality. Some 57 per cent of those who responded so were female.
Although Irish people have been murmuring approvingly about the romantic potential of recent arrivals to the country, east European nations did not rank highly in the romance stakes.
Just 1 per cent of those surveyed said that Poland was the most romantic nation.
The vast majority of people said they would describe themselves as romantic with 61 per cent saying they were “a little romantic”. Just 21 per cent said they were “very romantic”.
Nevertheless, romance is ranked before career success and money in terms of importance. Some 26 per cent of those surveyed ranked romance as “extremely important” to them while 19 per cent placed their career in this category. Some 17 per cent said money was extremely important.
The research was commissioned by publishers Mills Boon to celebrate 100 years of romantic fiction.
Its publishing director Sarah Ritherdon said the findings were not surprising. “Over the years French and Italian heroes have remained enduringly popular with our readers – simply because they embody the passion, charm and good looks our fans have come to expect,” she said.
“Unfortunately we don’t feature many Irish heroes at present – but it looks like that needs to change.”
The survey found that 36 per cent of people usually read non-fiction while 22 per cent opted for crime fiction. The gender breakdown found that 53 per cent of crime fiction fans were female. Some 11 per cent of those surveyed read romance novels and, not surprisingly, 97 per cent of the people in this category were women.
Meanwhile, Bóthar is hoping to make life sweeter for families in Africa this year with its HoneyBee Appeal for Valentine’s Day.
Every Bee My Honey Valentine’s Day card sold allows Bóthar to provide a hive of native honeybees, as well as the necessary protective clothing and training, for a family in East Africa.
The special “Bee My Honey” Valentine’s Card is available from Bóthar by logging onto www.bóthar.org or by phoning 1850 82 99 99.
