Breithlá Mheiriceá 🇺🇸☘️

So, What’s the Craic?

The Craic returns, slightly disappointed that it isn’t a national holiday here tomorrow. Anyway, here we are, bringing news of the Irish and Irish abroad to your inbox. The Craic is the weekly newsletter from Shift, our platform connecting the global Irish. You can download Shift here. And if you want to share The Craic, ask friends and fam to sign up here.

News from Home

Time to Shine. Ireland officially took over the EU Presidency on July 1st. It’s not as cool as it sounds, nor does it come with mad powers, so we are not going to suddenly declare that murder is legal in Greece or anything like that, but it does mean the Irish will influence the agenda – the direction of travel, if you will – for the Bloc. It’s also seen as an opportunity for the government to reconnect Irish citizens with the EU. So there’ll be a bit of a Reagan-esque “are you better off than you were 53 years ago” vibe about the place.

Howzat! “Ireland beat India in the cricket.” That specific sentence was never written before. That changed five days ago when Ireland did, indeed, beat India in the cricket. They – and by “they” we mean people who know about cricket – are saying it is the biggest upset in the sport’s history. It was really dramatic stuff, and while it does not mean we will be world champions anytime soon, it does show that Irish cricket has come on leaps and bounds in recent years.

Spotted. Ireland, as we know, has no part in the World Cup, but this crowd shot of the Norway vs. Ivory Coast game came onto our radar, and there’s something out of place among the sea of Vikings in the crowd. Can you spot it? Let us know on Shift socials.

The Craic Recommends…The Galway Film Fleadh. You could go and see Supergirl or Toy Story 5 this weekend, but, well, meh. A much, much better idea is to check out the Galway Film Fleadh, which is running from July 7 to 13 in, err, Galway. If you can’t get to Galway, then check out the films being played at the festival – many are already available online – because there’s some incredible stuff in there. A brilliant showcase of Irish and international cinema. Get the lowdown here. 

The Irish Influence

We wrote last week about how Veronica Guerin left a huge legacy, particularly when it came to fearless journalists holding power to account. Lyra McKee left a similarly powerful legacy, though in her own unique fashion. Lyra was one of the voices of the post-Troubles generation in Northern Ireland, writing extensively on its impact on the people and the lingering effects of paramilitarism. She documented the darker side of Northern Ireland while simultaneously showing the courage and humanity of those caught up in conflict. She was fatally shot on April 18, 2019, aged just 29, while observing social unrest in Derry. The New IRA claimed responsibility for the killing. The outcry and outpouring of emotion were just as powerful and poignant as Guerin’s death. Yet, the reason we highlight Lyra as our influence today is that, mere hours ago, three men were found not guilty in court for her murder. Hopefully, justice will prevail soon.

Cúpla Focal

Breithlá Mheiriceá {BREH-law VER-ih-kaw} – America’s Birthday. Yep, tomorrow is the big TWO-FIVE-O for a large chunk of The Craic’s readership. We hope you enjoy the holiday🇺🇸🎇!

Blast from the Past

So, here we are: America 250. There’s so much to cover about Irish influence on the Revolutionary War and the lead-up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Three of the signees – Matthew Thornton, James Smith and George Taylor – were born in Ireland, and it was a Strabane man, John Dunlap, who was largely responsible for the first prints of the DoI (are we allowed to acronymize that?), getting the word out that a new country was going to be strutting about the place. From Strabane to the other end of the island, it was Cork man Stephen Moylan who was credited with coming up with the name “The United States of America”. And of course, thousands of soldiers, many of whom died in battle, were Irish. We also did our part over here with a bit of the aul shite-stirring troublemaking, stretching British forces and flexibility as it had to deal with its fractious neighbor. Anyway, the last 250 years have (mostly) been a hoot, and you’ve done pretty well for yourselves, and been pretty sound, despite a few hiccups along the way. Just don’t feck it up now, lads.

And One Last Thing….

Are you interested in dating an Irish person, or maybe you are Irish and looking for someone who loves/likes/tolerates Irish people? Or maybe you just want a night’s craic? Well, we are pleased to announce that Shift is bringing its world-famous (prob a bit of an exaggeration) Blind Date Game to The Auld Shebeen, Fairfax, Virginia, on July 18th. You can apply to be a contestant through this link – don’t worry, it’s free! And if you just want to come for the night’s craic, that’s free too, so just nab your tickets through the same link before we run out of them. It’s strictly over 21s, folks, so we might stick Patrick on the door to check for fake IDs.