Ireland has always held its own when it comes to culture, but it’s hard to remember a time when Irish artists and creatives have been recognised and celebrated so widely. Has social media contributed to the so-called ‘Green Wave’? Perhaps. Whatever the reason, here are ten reasons the Irish have rocked global culture in recent times.

1. CMAT’s world domination continues

Whoever would have guessed that our greatest cultural ambassador would be a young woman from Dunboyne with a tooth gem and a line in wry, melancholic country-pop? The self-professed ‘Dunboyne Diana’ has spent the last six months or so spreading her ‘Euro Country’ gospel far and wide, with tours in the US and Australia, nominations at the BRIT Awards, appearances on high-profile US TV shows and collecting two gongs (for Album and Artist of the Year) at the recent Choice Music Prize on home turf. The CMAT train shows no sign of slowing down.

2. The sheer volume of young, talented Irish authors

It goes without saying that Ireland has never had a problem with our literary talent; many of the greatest writers of all time have hailed from our 32.5 square miles of emerald isle. It’s heartening, in that respect, to see the glut of young Irish writers taking the reins in recent years – perhaps given encouragement or impetus by the success of the mighty Sally Rooney? From Oisin McKenna to Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin, Patrick Holloway to Rose Keating and lots more besides, our literary heritage is in safe hands.

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3. The eclectic homegrown music scene

That goes for music, too, of course; over the decades, our musical exports have been included in many ‘greatest of all time’ lists. CMAT and Hozier are selling out major gigs abroad, but the homegrown scene is equally exciting with a plethora of brilliant acts on the verge of breaking through. The recent Choice Music Prize shortlist was a good indicator of the scene’s diversity, from the compelling rock of Sprints, Just Mustard and pôt-pot, to the folk of Joshua Burnside and Junior Brother, to the shoegazey Maria Somerville and the genre-defying Bricknasty and Dove Ellis. Our music scene is absolutely thriving.

4. The artists embracing Gaeilge

Bet you never thought that Gaeilge would be cool one day, while slumped over your school desk on a rainy Monday afternoon having the Modh Coinníollach hammered into you. Kneecap have a lot to do with the renaissance in the Irish language in recent years, but there have been plenty of other intrepid Gaeilgeoirs, too – whether it’s podcasts like How to Gael encouraging a cúpla focail, to the success of bilingual writers like Doireann Ní Ghríofa, as well as other musicians like Róis and The Gloaming singing in Irish. Gaeilge abú!

5. The film actors going ‘out foreign’ and doing great things

We’re all familiar with the Craic Pack’s ascendancy to the Hollywood elite in recent years; The Banshees of Inisherin has a lot to answer for. Yet while Irish actors have historically always been in the mix when it comes to big budget international movies and TV shows, the proliferation of Paddies in recent years has been a joy to behold – from Paul Mescal to Kerry Condon, Jessie Buckley to Cillian Murphy, Saoirse Ronan to Ruth Negga and Brendan Gleeson to Fiona Shaw, it’s wonderful to see a familiar face (or delightedly mutter ‘Big Irish head on them!’) on cinema screens.

6. Our theatremakers and actors are dominating international stages, too

That goes for the stage, too. Our homegrown theatre scene is thriving, but a number of Irish theatremakers and actors have made a recent splash in theatre abroad, too – from the breadth of talent on display in Playboy of the Western World and The Weir in London, to Rory Keenan’s brilliant leading role in the first-ever John le Carré stage adaptation (The Spy Who Came in from the Cold) to Chris Walley in the revival of Orphans, to Gavin Drea in The Crucible at Shakespeare’s Globe, Donal Finn in the forthcoming John Proctor is the Villain, and Paul Mescal in A Streetcar Named Desire (he’ll also be returning to the stage in two productions in 2027). Director Claire O’Reilly has just returned from Staatstheater Mainz, where she directed Death of a Salesman; the Abbey’s Caitríona McLaughlin directed Marina Carr’s adaptation of Mirandolina, which recently toured Italy and Croatia. We could go on.

7. Our artists’ willingness to speak out on important topics

Perhaps because of our complex history of oppression, Irish creatives have never been afraid to speak out when it matters – even at the expense of their own safety, wellbeing or income. In recent times, we have seen the likes of the aforementioned Sally Rooney taking a stand by pledging support for Palestine Action; Kneecap, Lankum and Fontaines DC have been similarly outspoken in their activism, while Kneecap’s Mo Chara refused to be silenced in the wake of a terrorism charge brought against him by UK police. Author Naoise Dolan even joined the Global Sumud Flotilla aimed at breaking the blockade on Gaza last October, using her platform to document her experience.

8. Fashion? We’ve got that covered, too

The Irish have made their mark on the fashion world, too. Last year, Derry-born Jonathan Anderson was appointed as Creative Director of fashion house Dior (we look forward to the shamrocks and shillelaghs collection any day now), while designers like Simone Rocha and Laura Weber are leading the charge with their incredible work (everyone from the late, great Catherine O’Hara, to Billie Eilish to Sarah-Jessica Parker has worn Rocha, while Weber designed Team Ireland’s uniforms for the 2024 Paris Olympics) on the world stage.


Laura Weber in her New York studio

9. Our restaurateurs and publicans are flying the flag overseas

There’s more to Irish cuisine than spuds, bacon and cabbage – and in recent times, it feels like the rest of the world has begun to take notice of that, too. You have Irish chefs like Anna Haugh at Myrtle in London (and more recently, as a judge on Masterchef), offering ‘Taste of Ireland’ menus that are “rooted in the finest seasonal Irish ingredients, blending traditional flavours with contemporary technique”; The Yellow Bittern, led by Belfast-born chef Hugh Corcoran, offers a singular dining experience with a menu that nods to Irish cuisine. Irish pub The Devonshire, owned by Oisin Rogers, has become one of the hippest in London. And further afield, Mary O’s Soda Bread Store in New York regularly has lengthy queues for its Irish scones, bread and baked goods, just like your mammy makes.

10. Our president’s sporting prowess

If there was a Presidential World Cup for keepy-uppys and sporting trickshots, our Uachtarán would be bringing home the gold to the Áras. While Michael D. Higgins will remain a perennial favourite of a generation, Catherine Connolly undoubtedly won over a shedload of voters when that footage of her getting stuck into keepy-uppys on the campaign trail went viral. Macron could never. Trump? Pfft. In his dreams.