{"id":505462,"date":"2026-01-10T05:48:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T05:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/505462\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T05:48:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T05:48:17","slug":"actress-trip-to-meet-an-irish-man-becomes-a-viral-love-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/505462\/","title":{"rendered":"Actress\u2019 trip to meet an Irish man becomes a viral love story"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a modern tale of girl-meets-boy. Theresa Rowley, a Dallas actress and comedian, got an Instagram message from a man in Ireland. She and the guy, named Se\u00e1n Rooney, began to text, then FaceTime. Within a few months, she was flying to Dublin to visit him, an experience she documented in a July<\/a> TikTok post that went viral. <\/p>\n

The response, she said, \u201cwas overwhelmingly supportive, which I was excited and slightly surprised about, because that\u2019s not the norm as far as the internet goes.\u201d <\/p>\n

She should know. As a content creator, the Amarillo native shares quippy stories about her life to over a million followers on social media. \u201cThere were, of course, some people that told me how dumb I was to have flown over there and told me that it\u2019ll never last, things like that. And you know, who knows?\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Since posting that viral video, she has shared other posts about Rooney, who\u2019s now her boyfriend, and his culture. \u201cI leaned into it because at the end of the day social media is my job,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

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The couple\u2019s story has been chronicled by Texas<\/a> and Irish<\/a> media. Ireland\u2019s tourism agency also partnered with Rowley to fund her trips to the country and film producers have reached out about future work. Rowley\u2019s grateful for the opportunities, but notes she doesn\u2019t want to \u201cfarm\u201d the in-and-outs of her relationship for content. <\/p>\n

\"Se\u00e1n<\/p>\n

Se\u00e1n Rooney and Theresa Rowley.<\/p>\n

Courtesy Theresa Rowley<\/p>\n

This past Thanksgiving, the tables turned. She played host in Dallas, taking Rooney to Jimmy\u2019s Food Store, an Italian market in Old East Dallas (\u201cHe was over the moon about it. They have really great sandwiches.\u201d), and showing him around Bishop Arts. <\/p>\n

The Dallas Morning News caught up with Rowley to hear more about how she has navigated the online attention and how Ireland compares to the Lone Star State. This conversation has been edited for clarity.<\/p>\n

For the last few years, there have been countless dating horror stories shared on social media and a pervasive sense of fatigue looming over people\u2019s romantic lives. Before you flew to Ireland, how did you feel about Dallas\u2019 dating scene? <\/b><\/p>\n

I am a culprit of sharing many a dating horror story online. I\u2019ve had good relationships. I\u2019ve had really heartbreaking relationships. Dating in Dallas was not for the faint of heart. I haven\u2019t been on the apps in a long time because I was so exhausted by them and the impersonal aspect. My connection with Se\u00e1n after we started to build it showed itself to be a little bit deeper and different than the ones that I was able to establish here in Dallas. <\/p>\n

Was there anyone online treating you like a love guru trying to receive advice after the videos? <\/b><\/p>\n

(Laughs.) Yeah and they should stop. It\u2019s so interesting to be fostering a new relationship, let alone an international, long-distance relationship, and trying to get to know a person, while also under the microscope of the internet. Se\u00e1n and I were talking earlier today about how crazy it is. We\u2019ve only been dating for about six months. We\u2019ve been around each other in person three times. And yet, every day, I\u2019m getting messages from wedding photographers, from venues being like, have your wedding here. And I\u2019m like, oh my God. It was kind of a beast of my own creation, but a beast nonetheless. <\/p>\n

Is there any aspect of this whole ordeal that has given you source material for a joke?<\/b><\/p>\n

I sat around in Se\u00e1n\u2019s kitchen with him and his family and could hardly understand a word that was being said. The Irish accent is incredibly thick, there\u2019s definitely some material there. The cultural divide is funny through a certain lens. <\/p>\n

How do Ireland and Dallas compare to you?<\/b><\/p>\n

I have been in Dallas for about six years now and there\u2019s a lot to do here, especially in the food and beverage scene. As far as landscape goes, Ireland has Dallas beat tenfold. You drive down the road in Ireland, you see a castle on your right-hand side and rolling hills on the left. And here in Dallas, you see White Castle on the right-hand side. <\/p>\n

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