A fascinating variety of Irish facts, brought to you by Medium writers
The meaning of the giraffe in those movie ratings posters + how to visualize setbacks without becoming a pessimist (Issue #289)
đźđȘ Happy St. Patrickâs Day! To celebrate, here are some lesser-known facts about Irish topics I found on Medium. I hope youâll find them to be âgood craicâ (pronounced âcrack;â an Irish slang term for a delightful and fun experience):
- A popular Irish dish served at celebrations is colcannon (mashed potatoes and cooked cabbage). Itâs sometimes used as a âfortune-telling dishâ by mixing small items and trinkets into the recipe. If your portion contains, say, a coin, it could mean a windfall of money was coming your way, whereas a stick may mean trouble for the future of your marriage. (Rachel Berry, DTR)
- The Irish language is full of magically emotive and dramatic phrases for everyday life. Itâs also an endangered language, with only an estimated 100,000 people who have learned it as a first language. To help keep it alive, consider learning some of its unique phrases to practice today. For instance, the Irish greeting cĂ©ad mĂle fĂĄilte (pronounced: kay-od mee-leh foyle-cha) means âa hundred thousand welcomes.â (Ben Dillon)
- An Irish tradition that deserves more attention? The Womenâs Christmas (Nollaig na mBan, pronounced: null-egg-nah-mawn), which occurs yearly on Jan 6th. The purpose of the day is to give women a break after the busy holiday season by having the men do the chores that women usually do for their families. (Lucinda Munro Cook)
- One mystery in Ireland concerns dozens of stone towers with circular bases that are found all over the island â no one knows who built them or why, even though they all look the same and seem to have been built during the same Medieval period. One new theory: Since theyâre usually found above underground waterways (which makes the ground above them dangerous for human habitation), could they have been related to water dowsing (a spiritual method of sourcing water) or perhaps even an Irish version of feng shui? (Geoff Ward)
- Somehow, I never really clocked that the âGuinnessâ in âGuinness Book of World Recordsâ is referring to the same kind of Guinness I like to enjoy while playing trivia (the irony of this is not lost on me). The whole reason it exists is because, back in the â50s, the managing director of the brewery got into a friendly argument over facts in an Irish pub and commissioned some researchers to help him create a book of popular facts and figures to settle the debate! (Carol Labuzzetta, MS)
- Did you know that the origin of the word âboycottâ has Irish roots? Not linguistically, but historically. Charles Boycott was an Englishman who owned and leased land to farmers in Ireland, whom he would also hire for jobs on his properties. He treated his tenants and his workers so horribly and was so universally despised that they would often go on strike or would refuse to pay their rent, which led to his surname being forever entwined with that act of protest. (Andrew Martin)
đ Iâm also readingâŠ
- One of my favorite things to do is to search Medium about specific topics I want a different perspective on, which is how I found this review of Anora that helped me understand why it won the Oscar Award for Best Picture: âAnora rejects the heart of gold and disposal sex worker tropes so familiar in media for a three-dimensional character struggling with both the insecurity and banality of this industry.â (Alex Mell-Taylor)
- Humor writer Emily Menez managed to track down Greg Clarke, the artist who created the iconic movie ratings poster visualizing each one, from G through NC-17, in cartoons â itâs the one with the giraffe, if that helps. Speaking of which, he finally explains why he chose to include it: âIâve always been fond of drawing anthropomorphized animals, and animals attending movies amused me.â he explains. âGiraffes always struck me as gentle, innocent animals and seemed perfect for a G rating.â
đïž Your daily dose of practical wisdom
âPessimists expect the worst and surrender to it. Stoics visualize setbacks to build resilience.â (Elan Kesilman-Davin, Ph.D.)
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Edited and produced by Scott Lamb & Harris Sockel
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