Marks & Sparks ⚡️🎤

So, What’s the Craic?

We’re back with more news and nonsense this glorious Friday. The Craic brings you news from home, sightings of the Irish abroad, and a good laugh in-between. We’ve been getting plenty of new subscribers, too, so help us out by sending this on to friends, family, and anyone else in your Irish circle.

News from Home

The Kids Are Alright. Two groups of just-about-teenage rappers from counties Clare and Cork have hit the big time after being longlisted for the Grammys. “The Spark” by Kabin Crew and Lisdoonvarna Crew (the best-ever name for a hip-hop act, surely?) went viral, with over 2 billion plays online since May. The youngsters will find out if they make the shortlist in November.

RIP to a Political Trailblazer. The US has its Dean of the Senate and the UK its grandiose Father of the House, but we had the much cuddlier-sounding “Mammy of the House”. Mary O’Rourke, who passed away at 87 last week, served in just about every role – TD, Minister, Senator, Party Leader – in a 40-year political career. Always up for a laugh, a 78-year-old O’Rourke once went on TV to review Fifty Shades of Grey – could you imagine Nancy Pelosi doing that?

Hulk Smashes Greens. Marvel actor Mark Ruffalo has weighed into Irish politics, releasing a video criticizing the Green Party (a coalition partner in the current Irish Government) for betraying their roots by allowing the building of an LNG terminal on the Shannon Estuary. The Greens fired back in response, saying Ruffalo is “very misleading”. The war of words continues.

The Best of Irish Abroad. More awards, but this time from the Irish Government. It has released its list of “Irish Presidential Service Award” recipients, honoring members of the Irish diaspora or those with Irish roots who enhance the reputation of the country from afar. Sports stars, Irish-American politicians, charity workers, and people who are generally sound lads make this year’s list.

The Irish Influence

Katie Boyle is one of our favorite Irish Comics on the circuit these days. Her comedy follows the well-trodden fish-out-of-water path as an Irishwoman in NYC, yet her dry wit shines a spotlight on the absurdities of stereotypes on both sides of the Pond. As well as being a brilliant comedian, she’s also got a great podcast called The Shift (of course we love that name!!) that navigates sex, dating, and relationships in America and back home. In short, she’s class. Oh, and for those of you nearby, Katie is playing the DC Comedy Loft tonight and tomorrow – and you’re in luck, because a few tickets are still available to her “Terapy” show right here! Check out her previous special on YouTube or get a quick hit on your favorite social app.

Cúpla Focal

Have you looked up to the heavens to see na Gealáin Thuaidh {nuh Gal-oin Hoo-ig} this week? Irish people have been fascinated by the Northern Lights for centuries, and as you might expect, different nomenclature has popped up over the years. There’s the literal Northern Lights, na Gealáin Thuaidh, the borrowed from Latin, na hAurora Thuaidh (the northern aurora), na Soilse Thuaidh (the Northern Lights again), and then more local idioms, such as Na Saighneáin, which means “the arrows”. Finally, a little shout out to our Scots Gaelic brothers, who call the Northern Lights “Na Fir-Chlis” meaning “the nimble ones”. That came courtesy of Steve Owens at the brilliant Dark Sky Diary. Lovely 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🫡

Blast from the Past

You’ll probably have noticed they’re handing out the old Nobel Prizes this week. From literary greats to scientific geniuses, Ireland’s had its fair share of winners. But we wanted to look back at two (anything but) ordinary Belfast women who won the 1976 Nobel Prize for Peace. Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams witnessed The Troubles in the eye of the storm and decided to act, founding the Women for Peace, a movement dedicated to ending the conflict peacefully. The movement swelled, causing many more ‘real’ people to protest against all sides of the conflict. The grassroots movement was just as integral to securing peace as the politicians who took the plaudits later. Women for Peace later became People for Peace, with Corrigan (now Maguire) named honory president, and is now a global movement. Back in 2014, Mairead spoke again to the Nobel Prize Committee, outlining what peace meant to her. Worth a listen.

And One Last Thing….

The perception that Gaelic Games are confined to the island of Ireland is now firmly a misconception. Irish men and women across the globe have been striving to bring the magic of Gaelic football, hurling, and camogie to new shores. So, it’s with great pleasure that we note the Pan European Gaelic Football Finals taking place in Lyon next week. It’s the 22nd edition of these games and the biggest yet, bringing 60 teams representing ten countries and over 1,000 players to the French city. These events don’t happen in a vacuum; it takes years of hard work and a lot of belief to get them off the ground. So, a big congrats to hosts Lugdunum CLG and the team at Gaelic Games Europe. If you fancy picking up a sliotar, you can find info on everything from watching a match to starting your own club in the US here. Full details on the 2024 European Games are here.

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