Taoiseach of Grá: Mark Mehigan’s journey from roasting to romance

Mark Mehigan believes in love. Now, I don’t mean in a John Lennon hippy-dippy, heals the world of all its ailments kind of way. Mehigan simply thinks it’s a lovely thing. Because when love is good, it’s magic. Love warms the heart, eases the bodily aches and puts an undeniable pep in your step. And when it’s made for you, it calms the mind and the soul. 

I meet Mark Mehigan on Grafton Street. I am five months out of a six-year relationship. I hate romance. I despise relationships. My heart is cold, my muscles are aching. I have no pep in my step. Love hates me and I hate it. 

Mehigan, on the other hand, is in the same political party as love. In fact, he is the Taoiseach of Grá. He is love — inside and out. It’s no surprise then, that a week after our interview, Mehigan announced his engagement to RTÉ presenter Doireann Garrihy (but more on that later). 

For a comedian who hosts a podcast called The Sunday Roast and who regularly (gently) mocks people on his Instagram page (@mehiganmark), it might be surprising that love and the never-ending search for it has become an integral part of his brand. It’s something of a 180 for the south Dublin native. But on his quest to find dates for the lonely, is Mark Mehigan “the new Cilla Black” (albeit for emotionally stunted Irish people)?  

Blind dates

My meeting with Mehigan in Dublin city centre is not my first interaction with the man. I am one of many individuals who have been set up on blind dates by him. Organised over Instagram through direct messages, mine took place on a balmy night in September. It didn’t end well, but it was undeniably thrilling and taught me how to once more move in the dating world and informed me that I was not ready to date again. Since the summer, Mehigan’s blind dates have become a social media highlight not only for his thousands of followers and the daters, but for Mehigan too.

“Like all good things in my life, the blind date thing came about organically,” he tells me. “I was actually doing a roast on first dates and people started messaging me about how hard it is to navigate the dating world and meet people. Then one woman wrote in with a couple of awful dating stories and I just thought to myself ‘this person deserves to go on a lovely date.’ So, I put it out to my followers with her permission and a guy got in contact, said he was in Dublin, a few months out of a relationship and would be happy to meet her for drinks. So, I set them up.”

I just thought to myself ‘this person deserves to go on a lovely date.’

From there, Mehigan started receiving more and more messages from individuals looking to go on dates or seeking to set up a friend or a family member. He realised quickly that dating app fatigue had well and truly contaminated the country. Those looking for love wanted to go back in time to a period when apps weren’t invented and the only way to find true connection was face-to-face. 

App fatigue

“I remember being on those apps and my self-confidence just hitting the floor,” he recalls. “You are sitting there alone, having conversations with people you’ll never meet about documentaries you will never watch. They can be a waste of time for a lot of people, but we are also so dependent on them to find a partner. They are convenient, but convenience doesn’t lead to connection. This is why I am trying to help people.”

The reaction to Mehigan’s blind date initiative has been nothing short of extraordinary. From 19-year-olds to those in their seventies, from gay to straight, the requests have been in the thousands. “Looking for a connection is non-discriminatory in terms of age, gender, sex, anything.” he muses. “Even location-wise, I have set up dates in London and Australia, I think this want for something different is worldwide.”

Mehigan says he knows of one couple who has continued to see each other post-blind date, but even if the dates don’t turn into full-blown relationships, the benefits are priceless. “The beauty of the blind date is that it’s not actually about the other person,” he explains. “While it would be incredible to build the date into something more, it’s really about you. It’s about you putting yourself out there, putting yourself first and trying to date in a way that’s different.”

“The beauty of the blind date is that it’s not actually about the other person… it’s really about you

Madly, truly, deeply

Although the dating sphere is saturated, Mehigan quickly realised there was a gap in the market. We have apps and TV shows galore, but not since the days of Cilla Black has blind dating been mainstream. Now, exciting conversations are happening with Mehigan, TV heads and some of the world’s largest dating brands. “I looked into the dating sphere and discovered it was like the wellness world in a lot of ways,” he says. “There are genuine actors and there are those exploiting vulnerable people who just want love. With the reaction I got to the Instagram blind dates, I knew there was an angle to be explored. There have been some very promising conversations with people who have worked with the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Tinder. I’m really determined to grow this into something, whether it be on TV or something else.”

With the reaction I got to the Instagram blind dates, I knew there was an angle to be explored.

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It would be easy for Mehigan to place himself front and centre and monetise his name, but in my full hour with him, he doesn’t mention himself once unless asked. Mehigan is madly, truly and deeply committed to helping others find love. On one occasion he was on the phone reassuring a dater who was minutes from walking away. He talks about the daters as if they are his children. He seems genuinely proud of every single one of us who chose to take a leap into the unknown. Other people are truly at the centre of this journey, not him. 

Doireann Garrihy

I wonder then if Mehigan’s eagerness to assist others is because he himself has experienced the quiet power of love. Now engaged to Doireann Garrihy, he mentions her in passing. It’s brief, quick, but I get the sense that what he has found is an uncomplicated love. His contentment is abundant and he wants others to feel the same. Like many relationships of the modern age, the pair knew of each other and their conversation began in Instagram DMs, which is ironic as that is the exact place his blind dating vocation began. The pair met for a coffee, Meighan says he was “terrified” and the rest is history. 

It sounds easy, but Meighan is quick to admit that finding a connection wasn’t always like that for him. He has been open about his alcohol addiction and his subsequent sobriety and says that forging bonds was difficult. “The love I have in my life now is a result of being sober,” he admits. “And it’s not to link everything in my life back to addiction but for so many years, it was truly hard to find a connection with people and the world around me. It’s a different life.”

The love I have in my life now is a result of being sober

As our conversation draws to a close, I tell Mark there’s almost a sadness to the reality of modern dating and the fact we have had to reach out to a random man on the internet to set us up with real humans. He tells me that while he can see my point of view, there are only positives to be taken from this turn of events. 

“It’s beautiful to see people putting themselves out there, breaking out of the norm and out of the conventional routine in the search for love,” he says. “That’s winning to me. It’s a hopeful thing. And we deserve it. Every single one of us deserves a chance at romance.”

Every single one of us deserves a chance at romance

We say goodbye and I walk away under the lights of Grafton Street with a limp still prominent but a heart slowly warming up once more. 

Because Cilla Black who? It’s Mark Mehigan who is making me believe in love.

Are you looking for love? Are you sick of the apps? Do you need some advice about love and dating? If you have a question for Mark, send it in to [email protected] with the subject “Agony Uncle” for advice straight from the Taoiseach of Grá himself. Mark joins the IMAGE ranks as our new Agony Uncle in the new year and WE.CAN’T.WAIT.