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So, What’s the Craic?

We are back to darken/brighten up your inbox this Friday! The Craic brings you a bit o’ news from home, a few words on this and that, and maybe a chuckle or two in between. We are starting to grow at a steady clip, too, so why not do us a favor by sharing this with your Irish friends and the 🇮🇪-curious in your lives.

News from Home

Mr Harris Goes to Washington. Taoiseach (Prime Minister for Anglophones) Simon Harris is off to the White House in two weeks for a meeting with President Biden. For some reason, Irish political pundits commenting on the trip have put 2 and 2 together and come up with “election”. Not the US one; an Irish one. Harris has dismissed the theory, but many expect it will come before Christmas. Our lads in DC will be keeping an eye out!

Lohan Behold. The cartoonishly quaint depiction of Ireland in Netflix’s Irish Wish came in for criticism both at home and abroad (it was also pretty shite). Yet it did shine a light on the beautiful Irish countryside: Most notably, the stunning Lough Tay, Co. Wicklow. Apparently online searches for the lake region have risen by 1,000% since the Lindsay Lohan movie debuted in the spring. Fair play, Lindsay.

Rooney Scores Again. This week, Irish bookshops had their “busiest day of the year” after the release of Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo. Rooney shot to fame with Conversations with Friends and Normal People: the latter’s television adaption transformed Paul Mescal from guy in the sausage adverts to Oscar-nominee and international big ride (heart-throb). Ballyhaunis! Iykyk.

B-Day Landing. This Tuesday, the government’s Budget 2025 will be announced in Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament). We don’t really do politics on The Craic, but it’s enough to say the country hopes a government with enough spare cash in its pocket to make Bill Gates blush will be brave enough to tackle some of the big issues, including the years-long housing crisis.

The Weekly Curadh… Laoch nó drochdhuine?

This week, we’re shining the spotlight (like they need it) on the Belfast lads causing controversy and selling out venues on both sides of the Atlantic. We’re talking about Kneecap, the Irish language rappers that exploded on American soil early this Summer when their hip-hop biopic hit the big screen. Their award wining film has already been chosen as the Irish entry for next year’s Oscars, and recently they’ve been touring up and down the East Coast, leaving a trail of destruction, and Buckfast, no doubt. Their final show is tonight (Friday 27th) in Chicago, so while it’s probably too late to catch them live, you can still brush up on your hiphop as gaeilge from the safety of your sofa. The Kneecap film is now available to stream. And it’s a belter.

Cúpla Focal

Uisce beatha (pronounced ISH-ka BA-ha for those who need more than the reminder) is the Irish for, would you guess it, whiskey?! Uisce means “water” and beatha means “life.” Apparently the phrase is derived from the Old Irish form of Latin “aqua vitae,” a term used throughout Europe to describe distilled spirits. Over time, “uisce beatha” became synonymous with whiskey in Ireland — and Scotland. But ours is better. Obviously. 🥃

Oh, and if you haven’t googled it already, laoch nó drochdhuine means hero or villain.

Blast from the Past

73 years ago this week, Mayo clinched the All-Ireland (Gaelic) Football title — for those who don’t know, it’s like the Superbowl, but more important. Legend has it, the bus of celebrating players passed a funeral procession and failed to pay the proper respects. The priest on duty (reportedly) uttered the words, “As long as you all shall live, County Mayo will never win another All-Ireland.”. The ‘Curse of County Mayo’ stuck. And 73 years and 11 Final defeats later, the hex continues. Like the Curses of the Bambino and Billy Goat, the Mayo Curse has become cultural, transcending sport. You can listen to a fascinating 3-part BBC podcast on it right here.

And One Last Thing….

After the dark decades of being a no-go area for visitors, Northern Ireland’s tourist industry is booming. In particular, food and drink tours are thriving. This week, the first Irish Whiskey Tour bus landed in the North, visiting the region’s best distilleries to offer international tourists a wee nip of that uisce beatha. Before The Troubles, the North rivaled the rest of Ireland as a whiskey-producing powerhouse. With a focus on independent distilleries and a can-do spirit (😜) among whiskey startups, there is renewed optimism that Northern Ireland can become a world leader in whiskey once more.

You made it all the way to the end, ye legend! If you enjoyed this newsletter, remember to pass it on to friends and family. They can sign up on this wee link right here, and as usual, let us know the score:

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