{"id":613901,"date":"2026-05-31T16:09:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T16:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/613901\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T16:09:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T16:09:18","slug":"love-island-start-date-confirmed-as-irish-gaa-star-joins-cast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/613901\/","title":{"rendered":"Love Island start date confirmed as Irish GAA star joins cast"},"content":{"rendered":"

Love Island returns very soon, with Galway GAA footballer Sean Fitzgerald among the new contestants entering the Mallorca villa in search of love.\"The<\/p>\n

The Love Island Villa. (file photo)(Image: ITV)<\/p>\n

A brand new series of Love Island<\/a> is just days away, with a fresh batch of hopeful singles heading to Mallorca in search of romance.<\/p>\n

The hit reality show returns for its 13th series next week, with Maya Jama <\/a>back at the helm to oversee all the drama, twists and surprise recouplings inside the famous villa.<\/p>\n

This year’s line-up includes an Irish GAA star<\/a>, a detective, a DJ and a West End performer, all hoping to find love under the Spanish sun.<\/p>\n

Teasing the new series, ITV <\/a>said: “Heading to sun-drenched Mallorca <\/a>for the ultimate game of love, a brand-new batch of Islanders must couple up or clear out as they dive headfirst into a summer of twists, turns, and tests – all in pursuit of finding a connection.<\/p>\n

“With unexpected arrivals, shifting loyalties, and sparks flying, the new series promises even more unforgettable moments, unmissable messiness, and plenty of romance.”<\/p>\n

Here’s everything you need to know about the new series, including when it starts, how to watch and who is entering the villa.<\/p>\n

When does Love Island start and what time?<\/p>\n

Love Island returns on Monday, June 1, with the launch show getting underway at 9pm.<\/p>\n

\"Galway<\/p>\n

Galway GAA star Sean Fitzgerald has joined the cast(Image: Joel Anderson\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

Viewers in Ireland can watch all the action on Virgin Media Two <\/a>and stream episodes on Virgin Media Play.<\/p>\n

What days does Love Island air?<\/p>\n

Love Island does not air every day. Typically, episodes are broadcast every Sunday through to Friday, with Saturday evening giving viewers the ‘Unseen Bits’ with narrator Iain Stirling.<\/p>\n

Love Island: Unseen Bits has a later start time than the main show however, airing at 10pm every Saturday.<\/p>\n

Love Island 2026 cast<\/p>\n

For the boys:<\/p>\n

Sean, 25, a primary school teacher and GAA footballer from Galway<\/a>Samraj, 25, a model from BirminghamSamuel, 25, an electrician from DudleyOpe, 27, a West End performer from LincolnshireAidan, 23, a property broker from KentLorenzo, 28, a business owner from Hertfordshire<\/p>\n

For the girls:<\/p>\n

Robyn, 21, a DJ from LiverpoolMica, 21, a student from BarbadosEllie, 24, a real estate videographer from West LothianLola, 28, a detective from KentAngelista, 24, a nurse from StaffordshireJasmine, 27, a fashion business owner from Dubai<\/p>\n

Love Island returns to Virgin Media Two and Virgin Media Play on June 1 at 9pm.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Love Island returns very soon, with Galway GAA footballer Sean Fitzgerald among the new contestants entering the Mallorca…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":613902,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,13183,22533,347,574,575,640,391,56,54,55,9119],"class_list":["post-613901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-gaa","tag-galway","tag-itv","tag-love-island","tag-maya-jama","tag-spain","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-virgin-media-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=613901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/613901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/613902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=613901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=613901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=613901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}