Sarah Jessica Parker's ode to Lyric FM sparked my own reverie on what I love most about being Irish.
I recently walked part of the Camino de Santiago in Spain, a pilgrimage thousands of people from all across the world do every year for reasons religious or otherwise. Every time a stranger exclaimed, “Oh, you’re Irish!?”, a smile in their voice, my heart would swell with pride. My patriotism is never stronger than when I’m away, reminiscing about how much better the butter is back home (it just is). When you’re abroad, Ireland ostensibly becomes – to anyone who asks – the best place on earth.
There’s a unique joy in being Irish, you see; one many are keen to share. Foreign friends will oft regale you of distant cousins from West Cork, while celebrities regularly sing our praises online. Matt Damon became the poster boy for Dalkey tourism (“Ireland’s Amalfi Coast” as per the New York Times), Kate Winslet recently holidayed in Ballymaloe (no pun intended) and Olivia Wilde is a regular down in Ardmore.
Just last night, Sarah Jessica Parker revealed herself to be a Lyric FM fan, posting a screenshot of a particular episode with the caption, “Nice. I try to remember. Cause it’s always so lovely.” A few months ago, she shared a carousel of photos from her summer sojourn in Donegal… the image of the lone (presumably Denny’s) rasher is permanently etched in my brain. “You should have SEEN it. Had a bite. Smelled the turf,” she wrote, later mentioning the sea, spuds and tea – the essence of Éire.
@ellemagazine We can relate — does that make us Irish too? #AndrewScott tells #DakotaFanning the most Irish things about him. #AskMeAnything. #Ripley ? original sound – ELLE (US)
For Andrew Scott, Irishness equates to Catholic guilt and chatting sh*te. “I like people and in Ireland, you have to like people because everybody talks to you,” he told co-star Dakota Fanning in an interview for Elle US. Oh, he also loves Riverdance (a pre-requisite).
At the IFTAs this past weekend, actor Éanna Hardwicke put it so eloquently when he said, “I’m proud of this country and I’m proud of our solidarity with the people in Gaza right now. Long may we be a voice for peace and justice worldwide.”
Needless to say, there are myriad things to complain about too; skyrocketing rent, rising homelessness and increased polarization over social issues to name a few. It’s been a long winter and I’m loath to admit that I spent a good portion of it cursing this country. The dreary weather, dark evenings and lack of non-alcohol-related activities would get anyone down. But, then the sun peeked its head around the clouds and I realised, maybe it’s not so bad here after all.
So, what’s the appeal you ask? Is it Paul Mescal? The craic? The pints? Honestly, I think it’s a combination of all three… and countless others. Thanking the bus driver, Tayto sambos, saying “I will yeah” when you really mean no; those are a few of my favourite things. The essence of Ireland is in the million goodbyes at the end of a phone call, the grand stretch, our aversion to notions. It’s in the “Cans?” text on a sunny day, the Sunday game, the public zest for throwing ourselves en masss into the sea on Christmas Day. There’s an inherent Irishness to each of these things that’s hard to convey, but it’s what makes our little country so great. So, yes SJP, it is quite lovely, you’re right.
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