Joxer goes to Jo'burg ✈️🇿🇦

So, What’s the Craic?

The Craic returns on this gorgeous Friday evening, filling up your fun hump with news from home and tales of the Irish abroad. If you’ve been enjoying this wee newsletter, pass it on to friends and family by asking them to sign up here. Oh, and if you don’t know the Joxer, reference, start here, and finish here.

News from Home

Joining the Big Lads. Seems the world’s most powerful nations want Ireland in the fold. It has been extended an invitation to join the G20 next month. To be honest, it’s unsurprising, given Ireland’s growing confidence to voice its opinion on major world affairs and its growing importance as an economic hub (ahem, pseudo tax haven😉) for multinational companies.

Alive In a Manger. Bitta nativity shenanigans in Dublin this week. Someone decided that it would be a good idea to have live animals in the nativity “crib” display at the Mansion House. The kids seem to love it, but animal welfare groups are not best pleased. The Deputy Lord Mayor of the City has rushed to assure everyone that the wee donkey and his mates are “not upset.” Fair enough, then.

What’s That Big Yoke in the Water? Unless you consider sheep exotic, the overall wildlife experience in Ireland is a bit, well, prosaic. No giraffes running around Roscommon or anything like that. So, it was something of a joyous and novel moment when we got wind of a humpback whale in the Shannon Estuary this week. Ships have been told to stay away lest they upset the big barnacled boyo.

Just Call Us TMZ. We have had lots of Irish celebrity news this week: Colin Farrell and Andrew Scott have both been nominated for Golden Globes for Penguin and Ripley respectively. Paul Mescal is selling his clothes on the second-hand app Vinted (it’s for charity; he’s not skint). And lastly, Barry Keoghan has deleted his social media after receiving a torrent of abuse, some of it linked to his split from Sabrina Carpenter.

The Irish Influence

“The King of Chemo” is probably not the moniker any of us want to pick up in our lives, but for Iain Ward it’s all part of his way of dealing with – and seemingly laughing at – terminal cancer. The Dubliner has been on a mission since his diagnosis with Stage 3 brain cancer, and what a mission: He wants to raise the most money for charity – ever. Ward has been busy doing marathons, cycling, hiking – whatever it takes to get people to donate a few bob to his charities, including the American Cancer Society. He's also been recognized for his social media channels, winning the Voice of Change at the 2024 TikTok Awards (he has over 5.4 million followers). He’s currently doing an Ultra Marathon World Tour: If you want to donate, you can do so here.

Cúpla Focal

In honor of our big friend appearing in the Shannon Estuary, we are choosing Míol Mor {mee-ul moor} – whale – as our Cupla Focal this week. Literally meaning “creature big,” you can gather that the Irish language is quite literal at times. And if you want to get specific, humpback whale is Míol Mor Humpback. We guess it’s alright to borrow from the English when you rarely catch sight of them (whales, not the English).

Blast from the Past

On December 13th, 1972, President Eamon De Valera signed the forms that led to Ireland’s entry to the European Economic Community (now the EU). The Brexit Boys will tell you it was a bad idea, but anyone who understands a modicum of Irish history will appreciate how good it’s been for us. It acted as the catalyst for Irish modernization, fueling the Celtic Tiger, attracting US investment, and effectively transforming Ireland from being an economically poor country to one of the richest nations on earth. Yeah, it’s not perfect, and the EU certainly isn’t the only reason for Ireland’s success, but it’s a central part of it. Recent polls for continued membership have ranged from 70 to 90%, so the European lads are stuck with us now, for better or worse.

And One Last Thing….

When someone says to you, “Irish music,” what springs to mind?  A bit of diddly-dee, perhaps? An aul boy beating the shite out of a bodhrán in the corner of a pub? That’s fair enough, but the truth is we are not bad at the old popular music either. RTE has released its Top 10 Irish Albums of 2024, and the list is a fine showcase of what young people are really listening to in Ireland. While there’s something for everyone, including evidence of a contemporary folk revival, it’s clear there’s a heavy punk influence on Ireland’s contemporary music scene, with bands like DC Fontaines, Gurriers, and Silverbacks dominating the list. Check out the Top 10 right here.

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