Ireland is the land of saints and scholars, and there are more famous Irish writers than you can shake a stick at. This St Patrick’s Day, our favorite Irish writer (our very own Amy Lynch) spills the beans on some fun facts about Ireland that you might not know, and how the Irish wit comes in handy when it comes to digital marketing.  

1. We talk to strangers.

Forrest Gump must have had a little Irish in him because talking to random strangers at bus stops is totally our jam. In fact, I think we invented it. Over garden fences, in the supermarket, or on airplanes – we could talk for hours. 

No, we don’t care if we have never met before, we just love to chat. We’re known for the gift of the gab‘ and legend has it that if you kiss the Blarney Stone in Cork, you’ll be blessed with this ability. Some of us, however, are born ‘talking the hind legs off a donkey‘ – and storytelling is a skill that a good blog writer must possess. 

We don’t just talk to strangers, we wave at them too. No, seriously. If you pass another person on the sidewalk (we say footpath) you nod, smile, or say hello, and if you pass someone on the road while driving, you wave. In more rural areas, many raise their index finger from the steering wheel in a kind of a country salute. Wave back, now, don’t be rude. 

Of course, when we travel to other countries, people think we are crazy for striking up conversations with people we don’t know. It doesn’t deter us. 

2. Six degrees of separation? Try 3.

We get fake annoyed if you say ‘oh, you’re from Ireland? Do you know Sean McCarthy?’ 

What? Just because there are only 4.9 million of us floating on a tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean, we all know each other? 

You’ve heard of the six degrees of separation. You’re also heard of the six degrees of Kevin Bacon. Well, here in Ireland it’s kind of like the three degrees of Cabbage and Bacon. You see, the chances are that anyone you mention is likely to be connected in some weird way. Name an Irish person. Maybe I made out with him at my cousin’s wedding, or perhaps she lives next door to someone who is friends with someone I went to University with, or lives in the same village as a person I used to work with. Also, if you see that Sean McCarthy, tell him he never called me after my cousin’s wedding and that he owes me a fiver.

3. We complain a lot but we enjoy it.

We have two favorite conversation topics: the weather and politics. Both are shocking here on the Emerald Isle, unpredictable, and bound to disappoint. A national past-time is to ‘give out yards’ about both. 

A current gripe here in Ireland is that the St Patrick’s Day parade is canceled again due to Covid. I mean, the snakes could come back!

Luckily, the Festival has moved online, with six days of comedy, music, and Irish culture to enjoy. We love the craic, after all, and once we are with our nearest and dearest, we’re bound to have a good time.

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

Wherever you are in the world, we hope that you have a wonderful St Patrick’s Day, and we raise a toast to you with this Irish blessing: May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be at your back.

At the Irish-owned Hashtag Creative, we’ve got the luck of the Irish on our side, with sparkling writing that helps us to create marketing people love. Get in touch to see how we can sprinkle some fun into your digital marketing with blogs, social media, branding, and websites, to get you big, bold results. Sure, that would be grand.