SpúinseBob 🧽☘️

So, What’s the Craic?

The Craic is back in an it’s-almost-March mood, bringing you news of the Irish at home and abroad. The Craic is the weekly, friendly mouthpiece of Shift, our app that connects Irish people and lovers of Irish culture globally. Want Shift? Find it here. Want someone else to have The Craic? Ask them to sign up here. 

News from Home

Nomenclature. The Central Statistics Office (CSO to its friends) has released the top new baby names in Ireland in 2025. Rían was number one for boys, followed by Jack, Noah, Oisín and James. For girls, it was Lily in top spot, with Éabha, Fiadh, Grace and Sadie runners-up. Helpfully, the CSO has also reminded us of the top names for boys and girls in 1975. Can you guess? Answers at the bottom of the email. Hint: they crop up in the Bible.

Final Farewell. Not to blow our trumpet, but we did predict in a previous edition of The Craic that Katie Taylor would be drawn out of retirement for one more bout. She now says that her final-definitely-certainly-the-last-fight (you know what boxers are like), will be in Dublin, probably in the summer. There’s a bit of a campaign rumbling that it should be at Croke Park (and it should). Opponent, as yet, unknown, but the word is she wants a big name.

I Do. Sort of two stories in one here: First, if you’ve been dreaming of tying the knot over here, know that the 2026 Irish Wedding Venue Awards have been announced. While some setups there are painfully expensive, the awards also offer alternative, budget, and kooky options. There’s even a best dog-friendly venue category.  Check out the winners here. In semi-related news, the swishy-swanky Ashford Castle has received a double 5-star award (ten stars, then, right?) accolade from Forbes. It’s generally considered to be the island’s best hotel.

Turnaround. Wee Six Nations update now. So, we were, as a nation, pretty downbeat about Ireland after that punishment in Paris. Thus, expectations were low going into the game against England at Twickenham. Reader, we hammered them. The 42-21 victory in London was one for the ages, and means we are still in the hunt for the championship. Amazing what beating an English team does for national spirit.

The Craic Recommends – SpongeBob SquarePants as Gaeilge. An Irish-language version of The SpongeBob Movie is coming to theaters as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge, and it reminded us that the madcap cartoon series has long been a success for TG4 in promoting the Irish language. If you have kids interested in learning a cúpla focal, it’s a great way to keep them engaged. And if you don’t have access to TG4, note that a lot of the content is on YouTube.

The Irish Influence

You know, with all this talk of the golden age of Irish acting, we’ve been thinking about a legendary Irish thespian who doesn’t get talked about enough – Patrick Magee. The Armagh-born actor was a favorite of both Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett, with the latter writing Krapp’s Last Tape specifically for Magee after hearing his signature gravelly voice on the radio. Magee did move into the movie business, too, notably working with Stanley Kubrick, including in Kubrick’s true masterwork, Barry Lyndon. Magee, who passed away in 1982 at age 60, was also an accomplished director and a stalwart of the new wave of horror in British cinema in the 1960s. “Unfairly forgotten” was one description of his legacy, and we can’t help but agree.

Cúpla Focal

A quare stretch in the evening – it stays brighter later. Not Irish this week, more of a Northern Irishism. It is at this time of year that you’ll hear someone remark, “There’s a quare aul stretch in the evening,” marveling that it’s no longer pitch dark at 5 pm as we head into spring. It varies by region, but we’d say that “grand stretch” is more frequently used in the South.

Blast from the Past

A quirky bit of Irish history here: In late February 2002, Guinness introduced a new delivery system for its pints – FastPour. The concept was rolled out in the hope that faster pints – FastPour would deliver settled pints in under 30 seconds, instead of the two minutes or so that we were accustomed to – would appeal to stout drinkers across the land. Alas, FastPour was a New-Coke-level disaster and was abandoned the next year. We just want to leave the last words on this to Grogan’s of Dublin barman, Sean Kearney, who explained (back in 2003 to The Guardian) that customers never complained about waiting for a pint, adding, “God knows they've complained about everything else but not that.” Good man, Sean 🤣.

And One Last Thing….

You know, we do love a pub, but Ireland has lots of lovely little tea rooms and coffee shops. And among the best in the world is Coffeewerk + Press in Galway. We know it’s the best because it’s made the global top 40 a couple of years running now, climbing 7 places from last year. It offers unique blends from across the globe, and it does a side trade in books and collectibles, like oatmeal socks. Ok, so it’s a wee bit hipsterish, but it’s class and a Galway institution. Oh, and a wee shout-out to the best coffee joint on the other side of the island: Unfiltered Coffee in Dublin placed 56th overall. 

*John and Mary were the top names for newborn Irish boys and girls in 1975.