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So, What’s the Craic?

The Craic is back, bringing you all the interesting news we could dig up on the Irish at home and abroad. If you like this wee newsletter half as much as we do, pass it on to friends and family by asking them to sign up here.

News from Home

History Made. The Fleadh Cheoil – the world’s largest celebration of Irish music and arts – will be heading to Belfast for the first time in its history in 2026. The event attracts around 400,000 people (more than twice Belfast’s population) yet having it in Northern Ireland’s capital also represents a step for cultural reconciliation across the island. Our top tip? Come early to get a seat in the pubs, because they’ll be packed to the rafters. The 2025 Fleadh Cheoil runs from August 3-10 in Wexford.

Vitamin D Deficiency. It's not particularly newsworthy to report the weather, but we have passed through a period where the sun wasn’t seen over Dublin for ELEVEN DAYS – a national record. We know the gloomy Irish weather is an international joke, but this is taking the piss a bit.

Staying at Home. Sinn Fein has become the first major Irish political party to say it won’t make the annual trip to the White House for St Patrick’s Day. The party is protesting the displacement of people from Palestine. It’s not clear whether other parties will do the same, but it does put political pressure on them. We’d guess Donald Trump will lose exactly zero seconds of sleep over the news.

Together for Fiadh. A GoFundMe for Fiadh Ronan, a 5-year-old County Kerry Girl, has raised €375K ($400K) in just under two weeks. Fiadh has neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer. The funds are being raised to bring Fiadh to the US to access expensive clinical trials. You can donate here.

The Irish Influence

We don’t often highlight soccer players on the Irish Influence (because we’re shite), but we had to give a little shoutout this week to Michael Noonan. The 16-year-old made his debut for Shamrock Rovers in the Europa Conference League last Thursday, becoming the second-youngest goal scorer in the history of European football competition. Alas, Rovers’ European adventure came to a halt last night, but the kid will always have that memory and piece of history. He’s surely one to keep an eye on for the future.

Cúpla Focal

Bréaga [Bray-Ga] – Lies/Untruths. A bit of a real-world example for our Cúpla Focal this week. In the Dail (Irish Parliament), the Taoiseach Micheal Martin accused TD Mary Lou McDonald of telling lies – “ag insint bréaga.” Accusing another member of deceit is against the rules, but Martin uttered the phrase in Irish, so politicians – as politicians do – have been spending the best part of the last week debating the finer points of Anglo-Irish translation to see how much offense was truly intended.

Blast from the Past

A little bit if trivia here: Can you name the one Irish musician to play Woodstock in 1969? No, it’s not Rory Gallagher, but good guess. The answer is Henry McCullough, lead guitarist for Joe Cocker’s Grease Band. Born in Derry, McCullough was a hugely talented guitarist, playing and touring with legends like Paul McCartney, Marianne Faithful, and Donovan. A brilliant – and hugely underrated – solo artist in his own right, McCullough’s back catalog is a superb source to discover the sound of Irish rock in the 60s and 70s. You only catch glimpses of him in the iconic-but-grainy Woodstock video below (he’s also on backing vocals), but the twang of his guitar is unmistakable. Joe Cocker (definitely not under the influence) can’t seem to help himself mimicking McCullough on the old air guitar either. Enjoy.

And One Last Thing….

Irish film is in a great place right now, something highlighted by the growth of the Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF – love that acronym). The likes of Ed Harris and Ralph Fiennes are in town this weekend to showcase their new movies at the festival. Yet, we got even more exciting news this week when it was announced that Oscar-nominated Irish film director Kirsten Sheridan will be making a big-budget movie about Ireland’s famous pirate queen Gráinne Mhaol – known by the anglosphere as Grace O’Malley. Production starts in 2026, and we know it will be a huge success under the sure hand of Sheridan.

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