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So, What’s the Craic?

We’re back on this fine October Friday. The Craic brings you news from home, sightings of lesser-spotted Irish abroad, and a bit of banter about both. We’ve been growing this aul newsletter, too, so help us grow more by sharing this with your friends, family, and those interested in all things Eire.

News from Home

Sorry, lads, go to Cork instead. The biggest talking point from home this week has been airport capacity (riveting stuff, yeah?). Long story short, Dublin Airport is running close to the 32 million annual passenger limit set by the local council. So, everyone is scratching their heads about what to do. Airlines are planning to reroute some flights to smaller airports like Cork. But it’s a right old mess.

I’m on top of the world, ma. We hinted a few weeks ago that the Ireland Women’s Rugby Team was destined for great things, and the Girls in Green have done it again with a bigger scalp – beating the world champions, New Zealand, in Vancouver. Absolute scenes at the end of the match – the biggest result in the team’s history.

An Irish Hello. Belfast is known for murals that are quite, ahem, political in nature, yet artists do celebrate the culture and cultural figures that unite the island of Ireland. A case in point this week when a brilliant new mural popped up on Winetavern Street (fantastic name, that) celebrating the Oscar-winning short movie, An Irish Goodbye.

Magic Michéal. What’s a Feis Dad? Ask Channing Tatum (owner of the least Irish-sounding name in history). The Magic Mike star was spotted at St Ambrose Fall Feis (a Feis is a competitive arts festival with music, dance, poetry, etc.) in Los Angeles. His daughter picked up two awards for Irish dancing, and Tatum looked every inch the proud Feis Dad (kind of like a soccer mom with more beard) as he posed with the trophies.

The Irish Influence

Every week we spotlight an Irish woman, man or team that’s making a mark on the world. Today’s it’s Garron Noone, one of the new breed of Irish comedians spreading laughs — and cultural insights at home and abroad. Hailing from the absolute best town on the planet*, Ballina, Noone is part comedian, part musician, and pure social media phenomenon. The 30-year-old Mayo man now has millions of followers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. His unique style is more way-that-he-tells-em than gags and punchlines, and it is refreshingly wonderful. Check out one of his classic shorts here and follow him, he’s delicious.

Other Ballina legends include Mary Robinson (check out her new documentary), Norah Patton (Ireland’s first astronaut!) and yes, the ever-so-slightly lesser known co-creator of this newsletter, Paul Murphy. ;)

Cúpla focal

Happy Deireadh Fómhair (DER-uh FOH-er), or October for ye anglophones. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, which mostly focuses on (out of whack 📆) numerical sequences for the months, Irish calendar naming refers to seasons and festivals. Deireadh means “end of”, whereas Fómhair means “autumn”. Now we know what you’re thinking: it’s just the beginning of fall; why this talk of the end of autumn? Well, we are talking about harvest season, August to October, and Fómhair can mean both “harvest” and “autumn”. So, while you might still be clinging to those summer clothes, in the old Gaelic calendar, winter is coming 🥶.

Blast from the Past

We were saddened to hear of the death of country music legend Kris Kristofferson. While Kristofferson’s Irish roots can best be described as distant, he played shows across the country many times during his storied career. The singer was also known for speaking up for what he believed to be right when it came to the suffering of innocents, even when he knew it would hurt his career. It put us in mind of the late Sinead O’Connor, whom Kristofferson supported after that infamous Saturday Night Live appearance. As a throwback, check out this beautiful rendition of “Help Me Make It Through the Night” that the pair recorded in 2010.

And One Last Thing….

One of the most surreal sights for those who lived through The Troubles is seeing huge cruise ships dock in Belfast Harbour today. Unthinkable 20 years ago. Well, one particular cruise ship docked in May and stayed a little longer than the passengers planned. For four and a half months, the Villa Vie Residences' Odyssey was moored for repairs, meaning its passengers had to remain on dry land and experience what passes for a Belfast summer ☔. They remained a cheery bunch, though, and many talked of the warm reception from the locals. On Monday evening, they said their goodbyes, but they only got a few miles before the ship had to turn back again – more repairs. Speculation over when the ship would actually take off became an international new story. Honestly, Belfast isn’t that bad, lads. In the end, she managed to slip away last night. Go dté sibh slán, folks.

You made it all the way to the end, and hopefully, you’re all the better for it! If you enjoyed this wee bit of craic, remember to pass it on to friends and family. They can sign up here: thecraic.us.

The Craic is brought to you by the lads from the Shift app. Shift is a social network for the Irish everywhere, launching in 2025: GetTheShift.app.