Hozier Daddy? 🏌🏻🌎

So, What’s the Craic?

The Craic is brought to you by the team at Shift, who are quietly working away on the Shift IRL mobile app! (Got questions? Just ask.) But back to today. We’re here on this Goodest of Fridays, rolling into Easter with a smile on our faces. We aim to bring news and views of the Irish at home and abroad. If you know someone who’d like this free newsletter in their inbox, ask them to sign up here.

News from Home

Rory Glory. Well, well, well. We mentioned Rory McIlroy in our Irish Influence last week, having only forlorn hopes that he would go all the way (he’s hurt us before, many times). Anyway, the boy only went and did it, winning the Masters and becoming the sixth golf Grand Slam champion in history. Rory’s victory also fortified this wonderful fact: Since 2007, 11 Major victories have come from players from the island of Ireland – only the United States has had more. Roll of honor: Rory McIlroy (5), Padraig Harrington (3), Graeme McDowell (1), Shane Lowry (1), Darren Clarke (1). Not bad for a wee island with a teeny-tiny population, right?

Ozempic Threat. The Irish dairy industry has a new fear – weight loss drugs. The spike in popularity of Ozempic and similar treatments has caused the industry to launch inquiries into how this will impact global eating habits. Those taking the drug tend to eat less, and, well, big golden chunks of delicious Kerrygold butter might be off the menu.

Tourist Tax. The news all travelers wanted to hear—more expenses. Dublin is proposing a tourist tax on hotel rooms (it’s normal in America, so many of you probably won’t even notice), which could come into force by September. It’ll probably only amount to 5 euros ($5.50) per night, but it all adds up in a city where accommodation can be wildly expensive in the first place.

More Irish Influence. Forbes magazine has released its 30 Under 30 Europe list, recognizing influential figures across the continent.  Ireland nabbed four places in the Entertainment Category (again, impressive for a wee country). Three musicians are on the list: Jordan Adetunji, Grian Chatten, and CMAT have been recognized, as well as director Ronan Corrigan. On startup side, our friends at Bounce Insights also made the list. Congrats lads!

The Irish Influence

We’ve even more Irish featured on influence lists this week, this time from the venerable TIME magazine, which has cited Hozier as a Titan of 2025. If you don’t know him, Hozier is Andrew John Hozier Byrne, a Wicklow musician who dabbles in soul, folk, and blues. He shot to fame with his debut single, the Grammy-nominated Take Me To Church, twelve years ago (way to make us feel old, Hozier), and he has since plugged away with three albums and constant touring, helping him find fame across the globe. Hozier has followed in the footsteps of other Irish global stars like Sinead O’Connor in not being afraid to speak his mind on political issues, even when doing so might harm his mainstream success. Gotta respect that.

Cúpla Focal

An Cháisc {un khawshk} – Easter. Easter is a tricky word in Irish because there are many grammar rules, changing the spelling to forms like Cáisc or Cásca. Yet, what’s more curious is that it is derived from the Hebrew word Pesach (Passover). That’s a rare old thing in the Irish language.

Blast from the Past

T'is Easter Weekend, so our look back at events in Irish history could only really cover one subject – the Easter Rising. Now, numerous books have been written on the subject, so we can’t do it justice in a few lines, but here goes: On Easter Monday, 1916, an uprising was launched by Irish Republicans against British rule. Numerous key buildings were seized by the rebels across Dublin who proclaimed the Irish Republic, forcing the British to send in the army. Eventually, the uprising was put down, with 16 of the leaders executed by the British. Yet, the events set in motion widespread support for independence, which was eventually granted in 1921. It’s probably the most important event in Irish history.

And One Last Thing….

From Easter Monday of the distant past to Good Friday of the recent present. Good Friday throws up a few traditions for the Irish, including a weird rule where you aren’t supposed to eat meat, but fish is okay (Catholic reasoning). Yet, for many years the big issue with Good Friday was that many people were off work but everything was fecking closed, including the pubs (by law). Not to be deterred, the thirsty among us found loopholes: For example, you could legally get a drink once past security in airport bars, so intrepid boozers would buy the cheapest airline ticket going, head to the airport with no intention of getting on the plane, and sup till their hearts were content. You could also get a pint on a train, so a ticket to ride up and down the island was also in fashion. In 2018, the government finally saw sense and relaxed the laws, which was absolutely great for the throngs of tourists who spent previous Good Fridays scratching their heads and wondering why everything fun was closed.

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