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So, What’s the Craic?

The Craic is back on this fine Friday, bringing you all the interesting news and info that we could find on the Irish at home and away. If you enjoy this weekly digest of musings on all things Eire, ask other hibernophiles in your life to join the fun by signing up here. T’is free forever.

News from Home

Scorchio. It’s official. Summer 2025 was the hottest on record for Ireland. It was great times for outdoor pints, your Ma’s washing line was never busier, and the stock price of Big Umbrella Corp. nose-dived into oblivion. People from hot countries tend to snicker when we say it’s too hot at 77°F, but you must remember – we aren’t built for this. Nor are our homes, which are built to keep the heat in. So, while the balmy summer was one to remember, you can see by looking in people’s eyes that they are looking forward to the cooler autumn. However, those positive vibes might just be down to the fact that the kids are (finally) back to school.

I Don’t Like Mondays, Mr. President. The race for the Irish Presidency is starting to get going in earnest, and, in truth, we have lost track of the number of new candidates & potential candidates. We are, however, intrigued to see Bob Geldof flirt with a run. The Boomtown Rats singer and Live Aid co-founder is apparently running a shadow campaign, testing the water before making an announcement. Oh, and Conor McGregor also formally announced his candidacy yesterday. We’ll cover all this in more detail as we approach the big vote on October 24th.

Green Flag. Ireland really is embracing the pigskin in a big way. Following a successful pilot, flag football is set to be introduced into the PE curricula of 60 Irish schools, with plans to get up to 50,000 kids playing the non-contact version of football over the next two years. Who knows? The next Patrick Mahomes or Sarah Fuller might be sitting in an Irish classroom right now.

The Craic Recommends. Christy might just be the Irish film of the year, winning the Grand Prix at the Berlin Film Festival, among other accolades. The story of two estranged brothers attempting to reconnect has gained universal critical acclaim ahead of its general release. You can find more info on Christy and upcoming streaming options here. Oh, and coincidentally, there’s a Sydney Sweeney movie also called Christy coming out later this year, so make sure you pick the right one.

The Irish Influence

“Nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It’s awful.” So went one of the most infamous theater criticisms in history. The review was given to Waiting for Godot, the masterpiece about nothing (or everything) by Samuel Beckett. We don’t have the column space to discuss Beckett’s philosophy of existentialist dread or the absurdity of life, so we will instead tell you why Beckett popped up as our Irish Influence this week: Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are set to star in the play for its upcoming Broadway run. Now, we don’t think we are being offensive when we say that the Bill & Ted stars don’t strike you as serious thespians, yet the pair’s chemistry feels absolutely perfect for playing Vladimir and Estragon. We think they will smash it. Excellent 🎸

Cúpla Focal

Meán Fómhair {Mawn FOH-wir} – September. It’s the end of summer, or, as the ancient Celts would say, mid (Meán) harvest (Fómhair). The grand stretch in the evening is slipping away, and Winter will soon be knocking on the door.

Blast from the Past

One pleasurable element of compiling The Craic is looking back at Irish music history to uncover some forgotten names. One such name is Brendan Bowyer, who enjoyed five number ones at the height of the Showband Era (ask your Irish grandad about that). Bowyer and his band hit the top of the charts 60 years ago today with Don’t Lose Your Hucklebuck Shoes. This was released around the time the Beach Boys were at their zenith, and you can certainly hear the surfin' rock influence. Oh, and one more quick fact about Boywer. His Royal Showband played a gig in Liverpool in 1962, getting a little-known local band called The Beatles to open for them. It was about six months before Love Me Do changed music history.

And One Last Thing….

Ever wonder which food and drink brands are popular in Ireland? No? Well, we are going to tell you anyway, using data from NIQ Ireland, a data firm that monitors the nation’s shopping habits. There are plenty of American/international brands that get the thumbs up in Eire, but plenty of local ones too made the cut in NIQ’s 2025 report. Just for the sake of it, we’ve provided a little explainer to each of the Top 10 brands below:

Coca-Cola – Famously invented and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Co. Tipperary
Lucozade – As a sick child, your Ma would give you this energy drink in lieu of proper medicine
Dairy Milk – Like Hershey’s, except with actual chocolate in the ingredients
Tayto – Doctors recommend two packs of Cheese & Onion per day for a healthy, balanced diet
Monster – Caffeinated sugar-poison juice marketed to teens; keeps dentists in business
Avonmore – Udderly delightful milk. Put a splash in your cuppa tae to start your morning right
Red Bull – Mix with vodka to scramble your brains and start yet another bar fight
Brennans – Aul Das moan when their ham sandwiches aren’t made with this white bread brand
Extra – She still won’t kiss you, despite your minty-fresh breath
7up – Tastes like Sprite. Looks like Sprite. Isn’t Sprite

Go on ya good thing! You made it to the end. If you enjoyed The Craic, remember to share the love. Everyone who gets The Craic will get early access to the Shift mobile app, which is coming very, very soon! And if those friends or family are doing alright for themselves, if ya know what I mean, let them know we’re still looking for investors to help us come out of the traps roaring ike a Celtic Ti- eh… Horse. 🐎 Hit us up on [email protected].