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So, What’s the Craic?

The Craic returns lathered in factor-50 suncream and with a cool drink in its hand, bringing you news from the Irish at (a very warm) home and abroad. If you enjoy this little digest, ask family and friends to sign up here, go raibh maith agat.

News from Home

Ireland Bakes. “Some weather, isn’t it?” “That’s some day, hi, paarfull weather.” “You wouldn’t want to be sitting out too long in that.” – these are the phrases that have been swirling around the island as several million people collectively stare up at a strange yellow burning orb in the sky. Beer gardens are booming, sun-tan lotion sellers are buying Ferraris, and the sounds of lawnmowers hum through the air as dads scramble to get the garden sorted. The only problem is that the allure of beautiful sunny pints makes many of us forget about responsibilities, you know, like having a job.

Not Watching Now. Ireland’s miserable streak at Eurovision has continued, with this year’s entrant Emmy failing to make Saturday’s Final. What’s worse, Sweden is the betting favorite, meaning they would move past Ireland as the sole record holder with eight wins. We need something drastic for next year, maybe send Bono and the U2 lads in to put us back on the map.

Drought Ends. A little bit of history for Louth, as they ended a 68-year wait for a Leinster Senior Football Championship at the weekend. Traditionally swatted aside by ‘bigger’ counties like Dublin and Meath, the latter of whom they beat in the Final, the Louth lads held on in a nervy performance at Croke Park. It’s now on for a tilt at the All-Ireland, which they last won in 1957. Could they do it?

Save the Date. All roads lead to Croker on September 28th, as we now have the final details of the first-ever NFL game to be held in Ireland. The Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Minnesota Vikings, and you can be sure there’ll be a carnival atmosphere in the nation’s capital before, after, and during the game.

McGowan Blessing. Yes! You know when something makes sense artistically? Well, Bob Dylan has treated the world to his rendition of Pogues’ classic Rainy Night in Soho. The performance quickly went viral, and the family of the late great Shane McGowan gave Dylan their blessing.

The Irish Influence

We are big Katie Taylor fans at The Craic, but if someone could vie with KT as Ireland’s most accomplished sports star (male or female) over recent years, it would be Rachael Blackmore. The jockey entered a male-dominated sport and rose to the top, becoming the first woman to win the Grand National, Cheltenham Gold Cup, and a list of other accolades. In fact, the prefix “first woman to..” appears so many times in her biography that we’ve lost count. Blackmore has announced her retirement and exits as a trailblazer for women’s participation. To be honest, we are quite relieved she retired, as Blackmore was characterized by fearlessness in a sport where the risk of serious injury, even death, is very real.

Cúpla Focal

A little departure from our usual word of the week. Instead, we’ll pose a question: How do new Irish words get made? You know, modern terms like catfish, rizz, freak off, bussin’, etc., – who decides what they should be as Gaeilge? Well, there’s a process for it, and it’s really interesting. Find out about it here.

Blast from the Past

Ah, feck it. We failed at Eurovision again, so we might as well take you back in time to the last time we won the thing. On May 18th, 1996, Eimear Quinn dazzled our fellow Europeans with the beautiful ballad, The Voice. Not to be critical of the other Irish entrants down the last 30 years or so, but we are really at our best in the competition when we eschew kitschy pop tunes and embrace our inherent Celticness. Get the bodhrán, fiddle, and harp on stage, alongside someone with a belting – unmistakenly Irish – voice, and we will have a chance again.

And One Last Thing….

Ireland is stereotyped as a happy country, and with good reason. It’s relatively rich, most people are sound, and we’ve been conditioned for centuries to have the craic. Yet, like most developed nations, there’s a hidden pandemic of mental health, and it’s especially worrying among younger people. A wide-ranging UN report has pinpointed Irish teens as succeeding academically yet claimed that many are struggling ‘in life.’ Up to one in three young people are experiencing problems with anxiety and mental health. A wide range of factors are said to contribute to it, including pressure to attain academic excellence, the displacement of social interaction by the internet, and the shock of a post-Covid world. Despite the warning signs, it’s a problem still not taken seriously by the Irish Government, nor the governments of many countries worldwide.

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