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So, What’s the Craic?

The Craic returns a little downbeat but still ready to shoot the breeze by delivering news and views of the Irish to your inbox. The Craic is the weekly newsletter from Shift, our platform for connecting Irish people and lovers of Irish people globally. Want Shift? Get it here, friend. Want someone else to have The Craic each week? This way here, please.

News from Home

Prague’s Packed. Ireland’s World Cup dreams were cruelly shattered in Prague, as the Boys in Green let slip a 2-0 lead to eventually bow out on penalties to Czechia. Over in Bergamo, Northern Ireland were outclassed by Italy. There is a mix of anger and disappointment, but dare we say it, a tinge of optimism, too (we were really good for like 60 minutes). We’ve noted, though, that there are a few calls for a united island football team to give us a better chance of competing on the bigger stage, just like they do with the rugby. Time for a grown-up conversation about that?

And a Wee Bit More Football. First, a little shoutout to RTÉ, which has facilitated Irish-language commentary feeds – provided by  Garry Mac Donncha – for these games and is looking to expand this further. Secondly, we wanted to echo the sentiments of many Republic of Ireland fans living in Northern Ireland, who were geo-blocked from accessing free-to-air RTÉ during the game, meaning they had to access it on PPV via Amazon. Surely, something can be done, as this is a special case?

Out of this World. Imagine how proud your mam and dad would be if you discovered not one but two planets. That’s the case of Galway student Chloe Lawlor, who has followed up her sighting of WISPIT2b last August with the discovery of WISPIT2c this week. We’re sure they’ll come up with some snappier names eventually.

Right Direction. The crime figures for 2025 have been published, and nearly all metrics for major crimes point downwards, including a 25% drop in murders. There were 35 murders in the country in 2025. Kidnapping down 11%; robbery and burglary down 11% and 13% respectively. We aren’t perfect, and we can strive to do better, but it breaks our hearts to see Irish ‘patriots’ on socials constantly talk down one of the safest countries on earth.

The Craic Recommends. Father Ted is on our minds this week for two reasons. First, there was the sad passing of Ben Keaton, who gave us some of the show’s funniest moments as Father Austin Purcell. Second, we stumbled upon the wonderful Facebook group, Father Ted Feckposting. It’s where we discovered the hilarious meme at the top of this newsletter, and many more like it. You can join the group here.

The Irish Influence

While the dreams of a first World Cup since 2002 may have ended, it is clear Ireland has gained a new national hero over the qualifying campaign – Troy Parrott. His goals against Portugal and Hungary were the reasons we dared to dream in the first place, and it was no surprise when he was the man to step up to give us the lead against Czechia. Whatever happens with the rebuild and refocus for Euro 2028 and World Cup 2030, it’s going to be built around the AZ Alkmaar striker. And you know what? He was selected to face the glare of the media after the disappointment in Prague and said all the right things. He’s going to be our future captain. 

Cúpla Focal

Beidh lá eile ag an bPaorach – Power Will Have Another Day. This is basically the Irish equivalent of “live to fight another day,” which feels apt after last night. We just hope we aren’t still saying it in another 24 years. 

Blast from the Past

Ah right. Time for a breather from all the football. We saw a little social media poll recently asking about the Irish playwright we most identify with – George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett or Seán O’Casey. The majority went for the latter, which might sound surprising as O’Casey is arguably the least well-known of the venerable quartet. Yet, it also feels right. 100 years ago, the final play in O’Casey’s “Dublin Trilogy”, The Plough and the Stars, debuted at the Abbey Theatre. It, alongside The Shadow of a Gunman and Juno and the Peacock, is a play that represents Ireland – or at least a slice of Ireland in a certain place and time – like no other, perhaps apart from Brian Friel’s Translations. If you’re in the parish, know that the Plough and the Stars is playing at the Abbey Theatre until April 30th to mark the 100th anniversary of the masterpiece. 

And One Last Thing….

You can’t really be a capital city without having a waxworks museum, can you? It’s the rules, so to speak. Anyway, we’ll finish this week by reporting that a new wax model will be revealed at the National Wax Museum in Dublin next week – Taylor Swift. That’s not very Irish, we hear you say, but wait: Taylor does have Irish roots, and genealogists have traced her great-something grandparents back to 1830s Dublin. And because we all need a laugh after the disappointment last night, we’ll let one of our favs, Garron Noone, explain in the video below why Taylor should be welcomed into the fold.