It's the most romantic day of the year and whether you're celebrating with your significant other or enjoying some self-love there's plenty of romance in the air.
Valentine's Day, February 14, is a special day for many in Ireland. As well as bringing people together, it's also a tribute to Saint Valentine, who was a third-century Roman saint and is associated with courtly love.
Many people don't know that part of St Valentine's remains can be found in Ireland. While the flower-adorned skull of St Valentine is on display in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, you will also find parts of his skeleton in Ireland.
A popular Valentine's Day activity is visiting the shrine to St Valentine at Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin City Centre, which has his remains on display. It's visited by couples throughout the year,. who pray to St Valentine, asking him to watch over them during their life together.
Join us throughout today for live updates on Valentine's Day in Ireland, where we'll look at the best romantic poems, funny cards, loved-up celebrities and more.
Follow live updates below or see the latest breaking news on our homepage.
Key Events
Valentine's Day search for Dublin mystery man named Paul who might have secrets
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Valentine's Day poems for him and her
Ireland's most romantic town has been revealed
KEY EVENT
Valentine's Day search for Dublin mystery man named Paul who might have secrets
The search is on for a mysterious man in Dublin who could potentially have a few secrets hidden from his wife.
The intriguing Valentine’s Day poster popped up in Dublin across from Dalymount on Wednesday morning, with the huge notice looking for a man named Paul.
The plain black and white poster pleads for Paul to tell his wife about them, or she will. Adding that she is pregnant, the mystery woman then wishes Paul a Happy Valentine's Day before signing off with what would appear to be an initial, T. Read the full story here.
Cathal Ryan
Victoria Mary Clarke shares beautiful Valentine's Day message with followers
Happy Valentines Day and I hope that everyone is blessed with unconditional love in the way that we were it’s the best thing ever! @ShaneMacGowan pic.twitter.com/fn2endsB1e
— @victoriamary (@Victoriamary) February 14, 2024
Cathal Ryan
Peter O’Mahony’s wife Jessica makes fun of husband's romantic Valentine’s Day gesture
Peter O’Mahony’s wife Jessica has poked fun at her husband's romantic Valentine’s Day efforts as the Ireland captain attempted to draw a love heart in her coffee as a gesture of love this morning.
Sharing a pic of the sweet moment to Instagram, Jessica wrote: "Ah look love heart in the coffee..." Unfortunately for the Six Nations star, his wife added that the love heart was “By mistake I'm sure!” We appreciate the gesture, Peter!
Cathal Ryan
Study exposes top gifts women don't want to receive this year
Sex Toys are one gift that most women don’t want to unwrap this Valentine’s Day, it has been revealed.
Whether you plan on curling up with a movie or squeezing in a Zoom date, a new survey has shown that 58% of us plan to celebrate the day.
And while we’re prepared to give gifts to our partner, it’s worth noting that 32 per cent of ladies would be mortified to open a sex toy. Check out the full list of what women don't want this Valentine's Day here.
Cathal Ryan
When did Valentine's Day become commercial?
While Valentine's Day was around in the Middle Ages, it didn't become really popular until the early 19th century.
A huge amount of printed cards would get sold, and then in 1913 Hallmark Cards in Kansas City began mass producing specific Valentine's Day cards.
Valentine's day cards took off, and - with the invention of the postage stamp - people began to send them anonymously. Racy messages and poems became common, as did increasingly elaborate designs. Read the full story here.
Cathal Ryan
When did Valentine's Day start?
Valentine's Day is an old tradition thought to have originated from a Roman Festival known as Lupercalia, according to History.com. It was held on February 15 as a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture.
During the celebrations, boys would draw names of girls from a box and the pair would be partners during the festival. These matches often led to marriage.
The festival survived the initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed at the end of the 5th century when Pope Gelasius I established Saint Valentine's Day in 496 AD, but it was initially just a Christian feast day.
The 14 February didn't come to be associated with romantic love until much later. Read the full story here.
Cathal Ryan
What is the true history behind Saint Valentine?
While there are various Christian saints by the name of Valentine, the most famous is probably Saint Valentine of Rome.
Born in Umbria, Italy in 226 AD, Valentine was a priest at the time of the Roman Empire.
Legend says that the Roman army had been forbidden to marry, as the emperor, Claudius, believed that married men did not make good soldiers. Valentine strongly disagreed with this ban and would perform secret weddings for Christian soldiers.
He was eventually discovered, arrested and executed in 269 AD. Read the full story here.
Cathal Ryan
Dublin's Top 10 restaurants for couples and singletons to dine this Valentine's Day
Whatever you are up to with your partner or friends or by yourself this evening, you should note that there is a list of Dublin's top 10 restaurants to eat at with your partner on Valentine's Day to stave off the hunger in your belly that is already so full of love.
Online restaurant reservation service OpenTable has compiled the list to help couples who might not go out much, who have already dined at every establishment in the city or who simply want to get an expert recommendation. Check out this full list here.
Anita McSorley
Domino's and Cadbury launch Creme Egg cookies for Valentine's Day
Domino’s has announced the ultimate sweet treat for all cookie fans, combining two of the nation's favourite treats.
Ahead of Valentine’s Day, the pizza chain launched the brand new Domino’s Cookies made with Cadbury Creme Egg, which fans can get their hands on nationwide now.
More details HERE.
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KEY EVENT
Valentine's Day poems for him and her
You've snared the perfect Valentine's gift, you've booked a table at that intimate restaurant and have got your hands on the perfect card that expresses just how you feel about your significant other.
But there's one problem - you've no idea what to write inside.
To help you express your feelings for your partner without sounding silly or trite, we have put together the best Valentine's Day wishes from writers who excel in the arts of love.
See the full list HERE.
KEY EVENT
Ireland's most romantic town has been revealed
Online search data was measured over a five-year period to find the most loved-up spots across the nation.
HenParty.ie conducted an analysis of five years' worth of Google search data to determine the identity of Ireland's most lovey-dovey town.
Scoring a total of 578 out of 800, Athy in Co Kildare fended off stiff competition to be named Ireland's most romantic town.
Coming in second place is the other Kildare town of Newbridge, followed by Ennis in Clare.
Read the full list HERE.
Anita McSorley
Enoch Burke Valentine's Day card with cheeky caption sparks mixed reaction
A Valentine's Day card featuring Enoch Burke and a cheeky caption has sparked mixed reaction online.
The dismissed teacher has been making headlines in recent months due to a high-profile standoff with his old school.
Pictures of the Mayo man standing outside the school quickly gained traction online and became a viral meme.
These scenes have now been immortalised on a card for the most romantic day of the year.
It's caused some people to erupt with laughter, but others aren't impressed.
Full story HERE.
Anita McSorley
Gardai issue warning over online romance fraud
Valentine's Day is the most widely celebrated day of love there is, but this love has been used maliciously against thousands of smitten Irish people as Gardaí issue a warning about online "romance scammers".
The warning comes after An Garda Síochána announced that over €7 million has been stolen from victims of online romance scams since 2020, with tens of thousands of euro robbed at a time.
Gardaí released figures related to the most dramatic examples of victims who lost large sums of money to romance scammers, including one woman who had €450,000 stolen and one man, who was robbed of €380,000.
A man in his 50s lost €36,000 to a woman he met online who claimed to be from Asia. After a period of frequent communication, the man organised with the woman to bring her over to meet him in Ireland for which he covered the cost of a Visa and flights.
Full story HERE.
