Tayto Tariffs 🇺🇸🚫

So, What’s the Craic?

The Craic is back on a wet and windy Friday, unearthing whatever news and views we could concerning the Irish at home and abroad. Want this email in a friend’s inbox? Well, do the right thing and ask them to sign up here. Oh, and be sure to check out the latest on Shift App testing (spoliler: it’s going great) and find out how you can lend a hand with Shift, too, below.

News from Home

Tayto Tariffs. For the many, many Irish abroad, it’s long been a tradition to get packages sent containing “the good stuff” sent from home. Little boxes of comfort – Tayto crisps, tea bags, (real) chocolate – have been winging their way across the Atlantic from time immemorial. However, An Post (the Irish mail service) has issued an update, explaining that such care packages sent to the US may be sent back. It’s all down to Mr Trump’s tariffs and the end of the de minimis exception. Those returning home for Christmas would do well to bring an empty suitcase with them.

The Lion of Clare. Co. Clare might literally be the Irish wilderness, but even in a land of tall tales, incredulity was stretched to its limits when reports that a lion-like creature was prowling a woodland area started sending the internet into a bit of a frenzy. It turns out the lion was a Newfoundland dog, whose owner had simply given it a bit of a haircut. You can see the photos here, and yes, they are ridiculous 🦁.

They Found Him. Remember the appeal for Man in the White T-Shirt we mentioned last week? Well, they found him. He is Co. Louth man Aidan Farrell. He’s been talking to the Irish media about his literal moment in the spotlight back in 1999, and the current search to find his identity. He will be going to Aslan’s gig at Vicar Street on December 27th. Man shouldn’t have to buy a pint all night, right?

Not Really News But…. A couple of Derry kids (weans, as they say up there) got dressed up as the two burglars from Home Alone, going viral on socials as a result. Have a look at them here, as it’s probably the cutest thing we’ve ever seen.

The Craic Recommends. We are all guilty of spending a bit too much time scrolling through videos on the old YouTube and TikTok, but what about tapping 👞👞 into something a bit different? The Gardiner Brothers are one of Ireland’s most successful social media creators, with millions of followers across various platforms. What do they do? They dance, of course. They bring Irish dancing all over the world, and, fair warning, while a bit goofy, it’s strangely hypnotic and highly addictive viewing. Check out their YouTube channel here.

The Irish Influence

William Bourke Cockran has been hailed as one of the greatest “forgotten” Irishmen. Cockran, who was born in Sligo in 1854 but emigrated to the US aged 17, was a six-term Congressman, acted as a mentor to William Churchill (there’s a bit of rumor that he was the lover of Churchill’s mother 😮), and was largely seen as a titan of both Irish and US politics, as well as US-Irish relations. Despite his relationship with the Churchill Family, he campaigned tirelessly for Irish independence, leading much of the funding efforts in the US. Cockran is being honored with a series of events in Sligo this week, including an exhibition on his life and times at Sligo City Hall.

Cúpla Focal

Códú Vibe – {KOH-doo Vibe} – Vibe Coding. The term ‘vibe coding’ was just named Word of the Year by the Collins English Dictionary, so we couldn’t help but wonder (Carrie Bradshaw’s Sex and the City voice) what the term would be in Irish? Turns out, it’s pretty literal and borrows directly from the Béarla as “códú vibe”. While the translation might not be so exciting, this is quite common with new words, especially tech words, until someone decides on a fixed Irish term.

Blast from the Past

The lads from Westlife have a big 25th Anniversary World Tour coming up next year, including a 13-gig residency in Dublin to kick things off next September. It will be a huge success, no doubt, as the 40-something-year-old-women-who-want-to-feel-like-teenagers market is as strong as ever. We do, however, tend to forget just how ‘big’ this boyband was in Ireland and Britain, equaling records set by the Beatles in the latter’s music charts. Back home, the boys were at No.1 20 years ago this week with “You Raise Me Up.” It actually stayed at No.1 for several weeks until it got displaced by “My Humps” by Black-Eyed Peas. What were we thinking?

And One Last Thing….

A bit of an SOS to finish today’s newsletter. We have been busy testing the Shift App over recent days, and we have had some great feedback and ideas from the early testers who have been helping us out. Today, we are asking for others to join in, particularly those who use Android devices (that’s your Samsungs, Pixels, etc.). Anyone interested in doing a bit of testing to help us make sure the app is ship-shape by launch can find out more here. We’d really love it if you came on board.