Doing the deed: Here’s how long the average Irish couple waits

Dating etiquette can be something of a mystery, especially if you're a) just out of a relationship, b) meeting someone on a night out or just c) really in the mood for the ride.

It's hard to know exactly how long you're 'meant' to wait to have sex with a new partner, and while there's no hard and fast rule, a new survey shows that most of us do hang about a while before jumping into bed.

According to research by relationship site IllicitEncounters.com, the average new Irish couple waits until the fourth date before sleeping together.

And for most of us, first dates are just reserved for chatting and maybe some flirtatious eye contact – because the majority of couples wait don't even lock lips until their second date.

However there is always an exception to the rule of course, with 17% of men and 13% of women saying they've had sex on the first date. We'd love the data on how many of those first 'dates' occurred in Coppers…

As for getting serious and saying the L-word, it seems that's something we're content to wait a whole lot longer for.

Yup, the first 'I Love You' comes after at least 14 dates in the majority of cases, with women admitting they'd wait even longer to say it just so they wouldn't have to drop the L-word first.

Almost three-quarters (72%) of men say they were the first to talk about 'love,' compared to just 28% of women.

What do you think – do the figures match up to your own experiences?