Nollaig Shona Daoibh 🎅🏻🎄

So, What’s the Craic?

The Craic is back with a final newsletter before the Big Day, 🎄 bringing you news and bits and bobs from home and abroad, as well as a few festive tales. Want a friend to have The Craic every week? Ask them to sign up here. The Craic is the weekly newsletter from Shift, the app for the global Irish and culturally Irish. Not got Shift yet? You’re missing out. Download it here.

News from Home

Should Have Called It New Corkland. We admit it: We Irish do like to take credit for all kinds of historical stuff, even when the originators of those achievements are somewhat murky. Yet, there seems to be a fair bit of evidence that Cork man, General Stephen Moylan, was the first to coin the phrase “The United States of America.” Now it is possible that General Stevo heard it down the pub and was just the first to put the words to paper, but that’s good enough for us. It’s also good enough for the people of Cork, who will unveil a new plaque commemorating Moylan next month.

Let It Flow. Did you know that Ireland’s biggest indoor concert venue doesn’t actually serve Guinness in its bars? That’s changing, though: after 15 years, the 3Arena has signed a new deal with the parent company of the black stuff, Diageo. We’d not be one for drinking stout out of plastic glasses, anyway.

Sumo Na hÉireann. An unlikely sporting craze has swept across Ireland – sumo wrestling. Belfast recently opened the first sumo club, Sumo Na hÉireann, on the island, welcoming both men and women to try it out. They do wear those giant diaper yokes, but this is amateur sumo, so people of all shapes and sizes are joining the fun. Great craic.

A Sign of Hope. Even though the darkest days of the Troubles are firmly behind Northern Ireland, the shadow of those days still looms large. But there is now more hope than ever. For the first time since the late 1960s, there have been no “security-related” (political/terrorist-related) deaths in the calendar year. Paramilitary assaults are also at 40-year lows. It’s a reason to celebrate.

The Craic Recommends. The final votes are in, and the winner of An Post Irish Book of the Year is The Ghosts of Rome by Joseph O’Connor. The novel, depicting life in Rome under Nazi occupation, was an instant best-seller, so it’s not one of those books enjoyed only by the high-brow crew. If you’re interested in buying it, we’d implore you to use an independent Irish bookseller, like this one, which ships worldwide. Nothing personal against Amazon and Big Bezos, but, well, you know….

The Irish Influence

As the year draws to a close, we wanted to shine a spotlight on Newstalk’s 25 of 25 series, looking at the most inspiring Irish person of the last 25 years. The voting is open to crown the most influential, and it could go in any direction: Cillian Murphy and those mesmerizing eyes might get your vote, or it might be the Collison Brothers, who invented internet payments (not really, but we told you we like to take credit). In sports, you have everyone from Roy Keane to our favorite Katie Taylor. Or maybe it’s the brilliant Sally Rooney. So, instead of telling you our Irish Influence of the Week, we’d like to ask you who is the most influential Irish person of the 21st century so far? Let us know on the Shift app or Shift socials. Oh, and well done to the fast-talking YouTuber in the video below for discovering that Liam Neeson was Irish.

Cúpla Focal

Nollaig Shona Daoibh - {Null-ig hunna deev} Happy Christmas to You.

Blast from the Past

We aren’t going to take you back to a specific date this week, as Fairytale of New York has been ever-present in the charts and our collective Christmas consciousness since its release in 1987. We did, however, want to bring it up this week, as yesterday marked the 25th anniversary of Kirsty McColl’s death. McColl was technically not Irish – she wasn’t Irish at all, in fact – but she’s in that category of honorary Irish, like Jack Charlton and Tip O’Neill. Fine company.

And One Last Thing….

Dublin Airport is expecting a record number of passengers over the next week – up 22% from last year’s figures. Let’s be honest, airports are grim 365 days a year, but there is always a little bit of magic in the arrivals lounge at Dublin Airport when the diaspora comes home in the days leading up to Christmas. Mas, das and the still-at-home siblings pace anxiously, waiting for those sons and daughters to pop through the swish-swish star-treky doors. You can tell when someone walks through the gate with a baby in tow that this is the child’s first visit ‘home’; it might even be the first time meeting the grandparents. Tears, cheers, and awkward hugs from yer da as the Irish arrive from New York, London, Melbourne, Tokyo – wherever. It’s ten thousand special little moments, personal to each wee family but universally understood in sentiment. We know because we live it. Vivienne, our fabulous marketing manager, flew home from NYC yesterday; Captain Patrick is flying DC to Dublin tomorrow; Paul’s going to arrive home on Christmas Day itself. No matter how long the flight, there will be a wee spring in the step when going through those gates. 💚

And to you: Whether you are traveling home for the Holidays, hosting, or working, or not celebrating at all, we’d like to say a very Merry Christmas from all the Shift Family. And a big thank you for all your support this year – we owe you all a pint.