Irishness & The Cult Of The Cool

via Netflix / @saoirsemonicajackson

Since House of Guinness premiered on Netflix last week, my TikTok feed has exploded with a love for Ireland. Every time I open the app I am welcomed by edits of the characters overlaid with Kneecap or Fontaines DC songs. I have seen countless vlogs of people visiting Ireland for as little as 24 hours, just desperate to experience the famous Irish hospitality and more people than ever seem to be using the platform to educate the masses on Irish culture, from our history to encouraging people to work in cupla focail as Gaeilge to their everyday conversations. After a turbulent history and decades of being seen as nothing more than heavy drinking Paddys, isn’t it high time us Irish are finally recognised as the cultural leaders we have always been?

House of Guinness feels very timely in its premiere – drinking Guinness has become as much of a fashion statement as it is a drink. Instagram dumps are full of arty pictures of pints of the black stuff every time I scroll my timeline on a Sunday morning. A pub visit is not complete without hearing the cheers as someone manages to successfully split the G. And it’s not just in Ireland that people are switching to our famous stout – in late 2024 London famously endured a Guinness shortage as the demand far outweighed the supply.

via Netflix

The fashion industry also seems to have fallen under Ireland’s spell. Just this week Jonathan Anderson, a Northern Irish fashion designer, showed his first womenswear show for French fashion house Dior. His Irish heritage obviously had a big impact on the designer whose first menswear show for Dior earlier this year included Donegal tweed and tote bags featuring Irish author Bram Stoker. Anderson took his bow to rapturous applause and the media was full of praise for the designer, who moved to Dior in early 2025 after huge success at Spanish house Loewe, along with his eponymous label JW Anderson.

Anderson is not the only Irish designer making huge waves in the fashion industry, Simone Rocha continues to be one of the most coveted invites at London Fashion Week, along with Paul Costelloe who regularly attracts a glittering front row of fashion’s elite. Irish brand Pellador (inspired by Irish sporting heritage according to their website and whose name is a play on the Irish for footballer – peiladóir) had a hugely viral moment with their recent showing at Dublin Independent Fashion Week. The Irish fashion scene just seems to be growing with no sign of stopping any time soon.

Countless viral moments seem to be stemming from Ireland recently, from that Anthony Boyle scene in House of Guinness (episode 3 – you know the one) to Derry born actress Saoirse Monica Jackson’s wedding, which featured in Vogue and caused a sensation on social media. The bride walked down the aisle to a harp rendition of ‘Dreams’ by the Cranberries, her bridesmaids wore emerald green dresses from Rat & Boa, one of the designers of which was also Derry born, and one one of the most viral images from the day featured a treasured Irish bridal tradition – the Child of Prague.

 

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I was in a taxi the other day and the driver told me he moved to Ireland 10 years ago and has adored every minute living in Ireland because of the Irish people. He said we were welcoming, caring and “very cool” (his words, not mine), even though he did say we sometimes party too much for him to keep up with. ‘Cool’ is not necessarily a word I have often heard associated with Ireland. ‘Quaint’, ‘green’, ‘romantic’, ‘heavy drinkers’ – these are words I would more so see attributed to our little isle.

It feels like quite a new trend to be so proud of our Irish heritage. When I was a teenager no one would have admitted to listening to trad music, but now my friends would rather spend our night in an ‘old man pub’ listening to a group of elderly men play ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ over a night in a glamorous cocktail bar any day. We proudly wear our Ireland jerseys, sport our Claddagh rings and have tattoos of Irish words, phrases and emblems inked on our bodies. Nothing has changed with Ireland itself, it seems we have all just finally woken up and seen how great she is. We don’t need the romanticised diddly eye Ireland – we’re cool enough as we are.

Words by Ciara Moran