Lá Fhéile Pádraig 🇮🇪☘️

So, What’s the Craic?

The Craic is brought to you by the lads from Shift. Last week we launched the directory of Irish events ahead of St Paddy’s day, and now this Friday, we return with a very special dose of craic to get you through the most Irish of weekends. Pop-on over to Shift.irish if you haven’t already made St Patrick’s Day plans, but first, enjoy all the news from home and the Irish abroad… And never forget, it’s Paddy not Patty. ☘️

News from Home

Referendum? Irish neutrality is seen as an almost sacred trust by many on the island. We do have an army, and it’s full of brave men and women who go out into the scariest parts of the world on peace-keeping missions. However, how and where Irish troops are deployed is a complex process, requiring, among other things, UN approval. The government announced it wants to change that, simplifying it and basically cutting out the UN part. It might seem like a no-brainer, but this is a highly emotive issue. We smell a referendum.

Le Disappointment. It seems the dreams of Six Nations glory are over. France arrived in Dublin and gave us a bit of a hiding. In fairness, it was a thrilling game between two world-class teams, but the French had a little more je ne sais quoi on the day. Technically, we can still win the tournament this weekend, but it’s going to require an unlikely series of events going in our favor.

McGaeilge. Electronic order kiosks at Irish McDonald’s outlets will now allow customers to place orders as Gaeilge (in Irish). It might seem like a corporate McGimmick, but there are campaign groups who pressure businesses to implement these things, all in the name of keeping the Irish language alive. And we are fine with that.

Price of a Pint. The Taoiseach Micheál Martin met with the US President and Vice President on Wednesday, and seemed to have survived his White House visit unscathed. Ireland’s “special relationship” with the US continues, or does it? Less than a day after the Irish PM’s visit, another trade-war threat was made by President Trump — 200% tariffs on European alcohol imports. This would, of course include whiskey and Guinness. How much would a pint cost in your local should Trump not turn out to be bluffing?

The Irish Influence

This week’s Irish Influence is the man himself, Saint Patrick. Born in (Roman) Britain somewhere around the 5th century AD, young Pat was kidnapped by Irish pirates as a teenager. He worked (under duress) in Eire as an animal herder for several years before escaping back to Britain. After joining the church, he returned to Ireland as a missionary, and that’s when Big Pat came into his own. You’ll know most of the legends: He used the three-leafed shamrock as an allegory for the Holy Trinity; he eventually converted many of the Celtic Pagans to Christianity; as for the snakes, we know that their absence owes more to the Ice Age than any wizardry (but it’s fun to pretend). Finally, we’ll note a bit of trivia for ya: St Patrick was never actually canonized by the Catholic Church, so you can make an argument that he’s technically not a saint. That said, he’s the People’s Saint & Canon of Craic in our book.

Cúpla Focal

Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit! {LA -FAY-LA PAWD-RIG SON-A DITCH} – Happy St Patrick’s Day to You! Nothing left to say. Enjoy the festivities this weekend, and remember you’ve probably still got to go to work with a clear head on Monday.

Blast from the Past

Back home, everyone has been talking about the Taoiseach’s annual visit to the White House. Political observers reckon Taoiseach Micheál Martin did a fair job in his meeting with POTUS. Nobody threw any punches or anything like that. The tradition formally started back in 1956 when then Taoiseach John Costello met Dwight Eisenhower. The annual St Patrick’s visits have continued ever since. While the skeptics believe it’s an excuse for freeloading politicians to have a jolly jaunt to the US of A, these meetings do – and have – move the needle on important issues, most notably with respect to Northern Ireland. Sometimes there’s a bit of arse-kissing, other times friction, but the meetings are important, regardless of who’s living in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

And One Last Thing….

You can argue that nothing is more Irish than St Patrick’s Day. Yet, is it truly Irish? Yes, it is our national holiday, and the Big Man is venerated here, but the ‘event’ is very American. The concept of Paddy’s Day parades was an American invention, originiating with celebrations of Irish heritage in cities like Boston, Chicago, and NYC in the 18th and 19th centuries. Let’s be honest: there wasn’t much to celebrate back home in a country ravaged by poverty and famine, so the Americans literally took the baton. Fast-forward to 2025, and this weekend and Monday will be stuffed full of Paddy’s Day events across the US. For the 70 million of you with Irish blood (and the rest of you who pretend to 😛), you can head over to Shift.irish to find out the St Patrick’s Day events happening near you. Our guide covers events covers 80 cities, and we are constantly adding more!

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The Craic is brought to you by the lads from Shift. Shift is the directory of all things Irish, just in time for St Patrick’s Day. Then the first of its kind IRL social, dating and everything else - network rolls out later this year.