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So, What’s the Craic?

The Craic returns on a wet n’ windy Friday, bringing you the latest news on the Irish at home and abroad. Know anyone who’d also like a wee ping to tickle their inbox on a Friday evening? Ask them to sign up for The Craic here, please.

News from Home

Irish Beef. “You know what’d be really sexy?” “Get the lads to take their tops off and start chasing some ducks around the yard while the other fella heads off to milk a cow.” It’s that time of the year again – the Irish Farmers Calendar 2026 is on sale now. While there’s a bit of skin on show, the secret of its success is that it’s not truly raunchy; it’s clearly a bit of a laugh. And as always, the tops-off shenanigans are all in aid of a good cause, with proceeds from sales going to a charity that helps families who have been impacted by injuries or deaths in farming incidents. Get your 2026 Irish Farmers’ Calendar here.

European Beef. The Ryder Cup was a timid affair, right? The back-and-forth between the fans and European players in New York was something to behold. And, wouldn’t you know it, the two players in the thick of it were the two Irish lads, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry. The former has received an apology from the PGA due to the harassment suffered by him and his family (not cool, folks), whereas the latter seems to be on a one-man social media tour to rub salt into the wounds of US golf fans after he sealed the winning putt for Europe’s victory. Big Lowry looks mightily, mightily pleased with himself.

Golf-Busters. "They've got this wonderful word there, 'craic', which means fun, but it means a lot of other things. A lot of good things. And this show will be about us finding it." Those are the words of Bill Murray, who’s over here filming his new series that both charts the best Irish golf courses and lets Bill look back at his ancestral ties to the island. No release date has been set yet, but we are excited about this one from the BBC.

The Craic Recommends. MOIO has been called a producer/songwriter extraordinaire by Hot Press, and the Dubliner has just dropped his debut EP, Earthday. Christy Moore, this is not, but the insanely talented Nigerian-Irishman has touches of Tame Impala, Jay-Z, Marvin Gaye, and more in his work. He feels like he’s chucking multiple genres into each song, but somehow it all works. Check out Earthday here.

The Irish Influence

Ireland lost a titan this week, a warrior who fought to preserve and cultivate understanding of the Irish language, identity, and way of life. Manchán Magan, the broadcaster and scríbhneoir, announced he had terminal cancer in September and passed away just a few weeks later. One of the best ways we can think of honoring Manchán is to encourage people to explore his work, whether it’s through his broadcasting or the books he wrote. You can start with his last book, Ninety-Nine Irish Words for Rain (and One For Sun). In his own words, Manchán said, “I've written a book about rain... the way it falls, whispers, assaults and nourishes — and about the people who lived beneath it.” – simply gorgeous. We can’t wait to read it. You can pre-order a copy here.

Cúpla Focal

Báisteach {BAW-sh-tukh} – Rain. It’s been raining incessantly here for about three weeks, so we thought we’d highlight the main word for the wet stuff. We say “main” because, as pointed out by Manchán Magan, there are a lot of words for rain in Irish. Our least favorite type? That’s Seadbháisteach – rain blown by the wind. Gets everywhere that does.

Blast from the Past

There’s a bit of a somber tone in the newsletter this week, so we thought we would perk everyone up a bit by revisiting this absolute banger from The Saw Doctors that hit number one in the Irish Charts 35 years ago this week. I Useta Lover spent several weeks at the top, and still gets pulled out by flagging wedding DJs when they want to fill the dance floor. Now excuse us while we go lie down and have a cuppa tae after realizing 1990 was THIRTY-FIVE-FECKING years ago.

And One Last Thing….

Well, the NFL roadshow has been and gone, and the question now is what legacy it leaves? It certainly was a success if you measure success by ticket sales and cash generated, as most people do. The players, including winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers, also had lovely things to say about their sojourn on this side of the Atlantic. But there were low points, too, not least the fact that one of the Steelers’ players, Skyler Thompson, was robbed and attacked in Dublin – not a great advert for our capital city. There’s also debate over whether the hallowed ground of Croke Park was besmirched by a “foreign” sport, a sentiment that veered into politics: reading some columnists, you’d be left thinking Donald Trump himself had lined up at quarterback, throwing 50-yard passes across Croker to JD Vance and the Ghosts of Reaganomics. Each to their own, we guess. But our own view has not changed: Bringing the NFL to Dublin has allowed us to showcase modern Ireland – warts and all – to a global audience. Something to build on for other sports and cultural events long after the players have headed home.

Go on ya good thing! You made it to the end. If you enjoyed The Craic, remember to share the love. Everyone who gets The Craic will get early access to the Shift mobile app, which is coming very, very soon! And if those friends or family are doing alright for themselves, if ya know what I mean, let them know we’re still looking for investors to help us come out of the traps roaring ike a Celtic Ti- eh… Horse. 🐎 Hit us up on [email protected].