“I am a 39-year-old woman from a farming background. I have a good job and my own house built on the family farm, where my parents still live. Others would say I have a lot going for me: I’m financially independent, well travelled, fit and sociable. However, I have yet to meet somebody to share my life with,” she writes.

All of her friends are married with children, so nobody is interested in going out on Saturday night anymore. Various “set-up” attempts have not succeeded either.

“Maybe I’m being unfair, but I think most men my age are either married or looking for younger models, as they think that at 39, you’re only interested in getting a ring on your finger. I’m not especially interested in a casual fling, but I just want to meet a genuine person and see where it goes from there,” she says.

Which brings her to her question: should she try Internet dating?

“I always thought it was a bit desperate, or sort of like ‘last chance saloon’ and I know that my friends would probably laugh if I even mentioned that I was thinking about it,” she says. “But now, I’m starting to think that it might be the only real option left for me.

“I’m too embarrassed to discuss this with a friend: do you think I should try it, or would I only be wasting my time?”

Miriam will offer her advice in the next edition of Irish Country Living, but what would you do in this situation: give it a go or stay well away?