Cut of his Jib 🤩🍿

So, What’s the Craic?

We’re back with more craic this lovely Friday, keeping you up to date on all going on at home and hijinks with the Irish abroad. The Craic’s readership has been growing steadily, too, so if you know anyone who’d like to join in, help us by sending this on.

News from Home

Are You Not Entertained? Gladiator II had its Irish premiere last night, so what better way to celebrate than with a lookalike competition in honor of the film’s star, Paul Mescal? 😆 A total of 6 entrants did their best Mescal impression, with the lucky winner taking away the grand prize of €20 or “three pints” (we kid you not). Winner Wall O’Reilly (Wall Mescal? We’re sorry😔) was also gifted a lovely pair of O’Neills sports shorts. Only in Ireland.

Chateau Neuf de Cork. “Irish wine” might sound like a slang term for something lewd, but the phenomenon of Irish vintners is very real. Growers in Cork, Waterford, Mayo, and Wexford had a vintage year, producing crisp, acidic whites, sparkling rosés, and some light reds. In some cases, volumes were as high as in northern Italy. Alas, the ability to grow the grapes in a region known for shitty weather has been put down to climate change.

Farewell to a Legend. James McCarthy has called time on his Dublin GAA career. The midfielder was – is – one of the all-time greats, winning 9 All-Ireland titles during a dominant run for Dublin across the 2010s. He had a Tom-Brady-like influence over the team – similarly loathed but respected by rival fans – and his retirement marks the end of an era.

Kneecap Gets Awards Recognition. We’ve touched on the brilliance of the Kneecap movie in previous newsletters, so we weren’t surprised to see it getting showered with nominations at the British Independent Film Awards: 14 of ‘em, in fact. In other Irish movie news, we wanted to draw your attention to Fidil Ghorm, which won Best Irish Feature at California’s Newport International Film Festival.

The Irish Influence

There’s been a handful of Irish-born NFL players in the past, with mixed success, but we have high hopes for Jude McAtamney. Born in Swatragh, Co. Derry, McAtamney was a GAA star in his teens before forming an interest in egg-shaped balls. He earned a scholarship to play for the Chowan Hawks in North Carolina, and he was picked up on a contract this summer by the New York Giants. In true Irish fashion, it seems that the entire village of Swatragh descended on the local pub to watch the 24-year-old make his debut for the Giants on Sunday. And they weren’t to be disappointed, as McAtamney became the first Irish-born player in 39 years to score a point in the NFL. For more on Jude, check this out.

Cúpla Focal

Inspired by one of the brilliant Mescal-likes, this week’s phrase is cut of your jib. Now, this phrase is actually not Irish in origin; we borrowed it from the English (fair’s fair lads, you ‘borrowed’ a few things from us in your time, and it’s not like you’re using it enough anyway). A jib is a type of sail, so it’s an old nautical term to talk about liking the cut of the jib. In Ireland today, it means, essentially, a character assessment: “I like the cut of her jib” would mean you like the way someone acts, dresses, or composes themselves. Conversely, “I don’t like the cut of his jib” might be trotted out for some sneaky bastard who never gets his round in, is a bit too full of himself, or comports himself like an ass… 🚨 Paul and Kate get into this on TikTok and it’s the focus of our very first YouTube Short! 🎉 🥳

Blast from the Past

It's been 42 years since we’ve gotten anything new from Thin Lizzy. In January, that will change with the release of The Acoustic Sessions. The excitement stems from the addition of previously unheard vocals from legendary frontman Phil Lynott, who passed away in 1986. The band decided not to continue after Lynott’s death, and while there have been a few live albums released, there has been nothing as ‘fresh’ as this upcoming release. Lynott’s untimely death cut short the reign of one of the most quietly influential bands in rock, with acts as diverse as Metallica, Alice in Chains and The Hold Steady citing them as an inspiration. Oh, and we’ll tell you a little factoid you can bore your friends with: The iconic ‘skulls and cross’ cover art for Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction was designed as a tribute to Lynott & Thin Lizzy. There’ll always be whiskey in the jar 💓.

And One Last Thing….

The ‘Other’ November Election: As the world looked on at the US electing a new president, we Irish quietly called our own general election for November 29th. It means the Irish voters will go through just a few weeks of campaigning and not the exhausting marathon that our American friends have just witnessed. Campaigning will focus on issues like housing, inflation, immigration, and what the government does with the big pile of cash it seems to be sitting on. The current Taoiseach Simon Harris’s party, Fine Gael, is the favorite to win. But who knows these days, right? Just a year ago, we were talking about the likelihood of Sinn Fein (the party whose raison d’être is to campaign for a United Ireland) as the most plausible winner. But things change suddenly in politics, as you all know too well.

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