26 toys every Irish person played with as a child

Uncategorized

Aug 6, 2014

Growing up in Ireland, we had a LOT of toys to choose from. Here are some of the toys that have made the list of our favourites:

1. Micro Scooters
They were all the craze for those 10- and 11-year-old birthday gifts. And nothing was quite as cool as scooting along your estate showing everyone what you got. They are still in fashion as you will know if one rolls over your foot on your walk to work.

2. Power Rangers
The variety of colours, the TV show, they dominated the '90s. Go, go Power Rangers! Were you the pink or yellow ranger?!

3. Polly Pocket
The smallest little woman in the smallest little house in the world. Almost immediately after opening, Polly Pocket was lost forever but we did love her.

4. Super Soaker
Essential for a sunny day on the estate green.

5. Furby
Even though their constant ‘FURBY’ noises did get annoying, they were the toy of the '90s. Coming in different colors and designs, they were a child’s dream.

6. Troll Dolls
These little guys were weird and naked and had no function but we loved their smiling faces. Nawww.

7. Barbie
The disproportionate blonde bombshell that gave every girl unrealistic expectations about hair, make-up and waistlines.

8. Bop It
This piece of equipment gave us kids our first high pressure situation. BOP IT!

9. Tamagotchi
This toy taught us how to look after a fake animal that was needy. Was the lesson responsibility or… let something die so you don’t have to deal with it?

10. POGS
The loom band of the '90s.

11. TalkBoy/Girl
The recording device that saved Macaulay Culkin's life in Home Alone 2. It could speed up OR slow down your voice.

12. Pokemon Card
Our moms really hated that we had to catch em' all.

13. TY Beanie Babies
Great stocking fillers and have been said to be quite the collectors item. Don’t throw these babies out, they could be big sellers on eBay in a few years.

14. Buzz Lightyear Action
This little hero sent parents into a frenzy one Christmas (’95 perhaps…?) as every little boy and girl had their eye on this man after seeing Toy Story 1.

15. Hula hoop
A simple design that some kids could master while others looked like a clapping seal.

16. Hungry Hippos
Parents everywhere cursed the day this game was born. The Hungry Hippos just made unnecessary noise and the balls found their way down the couch.

17. My Little Pony
The lucky ones got a mini hairbrush to style their Pony’s hair.

18. Operation
Call the doctor, it’s so much fun to play!

19. Slinky
Simple, yet genius

20. Yo-Yo
Dominating the school yard, ‘walking the dog’ meant something magical when it came to a yo-yo!

21. Roller skates
Before you were allowed the big boy/girl roller skates/blades, you had to test these bad boys out. Highly uncomfortable and dangerous on the wrong feet.

22. Play-doh
The only time play-doh was its true colour was when it JUST came out of its little pots. Then it all melded together and turned a brownish pukey green. It melded into the carpet or your friends hair… it smelled great though.

23. Rubik cube
Genius design blah blah blah … way to make kids feel stoopid.

24. Etch A Sketch
Brilliant design, the best part of it being the swoosh sound when you shook it clear.

25. Game Boy
Mario brothers, Tetris, Frogger; Game Boys kept many a child quiet during a long car journey.

26. Lego
Lego is the king of creation and, while it hurt like hell to stand on a single piece, it was still the thing that kept us busy for hours.

via our content partner CT

Irish people taste American snacks with hilarious results

Aug 1, 2014

by Amber Saunders

Following Buzzfeed’s video of American people tasting Irish snacks such as Taytos, black pudding, Cadbury’s chocolate and lots more, College Times decided to conduct their own experiment!

Some American snacks tried out by the group include the Twinkie, that strange macaroni and cheese in a box and marshmallow fluff (um, yum?!)

This, of course, had quite hilarious results.

via our content partner CT

Irish woman’s epic dance moves go viral

Aug 1, 2014

by Amber Saunders

This video of an Irish girl dancing at the recent Longitude festival has gone viral for all of the right (and oh so wrong) reasons!

She has got some serious moves, we're impressed!

Are you ready for the weekend, ladies?!

Post by Cheryl Mc Quillan.

Beauty Blogger of the Week: Sinéad Smith and Deirdre Foley

Jul 29, 2014

by Amber Saunders

Viva Adonis is written by two Dublin girls, Deirdre Foley and Sinéad Smith who admit to having a pretty unhealthy passion for beauty. Their blog is a mix of skincare tips, fake tan hacks, make-up reviews, beauty tips, fashion and lifestyle.

SHEmazing! caught up with the girls to get the low down on their beauty secrets and tips:

What is your best budget beauty buy?
D: Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer is probably my most repurchased budget item. It’s an incredible concealer for the price so I always have a few – in my handbag and at home! It’s also one of the only concealers I can use both on blemishes and under the eyes – fantastic stuff.

S: Most definitely the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. After years of forking out for high-end micellar solutions to take my slap off before cleansing, I’m so glad that a budget version is available. It doesn’t cost much more than a fiver and is often on offer in Boots so, I stock up!

What is your top make-up tip?
D: Don’t cake on the foundation. Use a light hand and then go in with concealer on the areas where you need it. It took me years to learn this one!

S: Put some time into your brows. Whether that means growing them out, filling them in or seeing a professional to get them looking their best, the brows frame the face and instantly make any make-up look you do look sharp and polished.

Most girls have much-loved lipstick – what’s yours?
D: Probably MAC Lady Danger. It’s a real power red and the orangey undertone gives it a retro feel, which I love as I enjoy looking back to the fifties and sixties for make-up inspiration.

S: Oh God, do I really have to choose?! Probably MAC Violetta – an incredibly vibrant true purple. I’ve been stopped numerous times while wearing this by people wanting to know the shade and it goes equally well with a basic daytime look as it does with a smokey eye. It’s probably the most striking lipstick in my collection.

What was your very first perfume and what are you currently wearing?
D: I think my first perfume that I bought myself was CK One – predictable but it’s still a scent I like! Right now I am loving Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess for day and Tom Ford Black Orchid for night.

S: I think my very first perfume was Burberry, the original one. Now I wear Estée Lauder Modern Muse during the day and something heavier like Tom Ford Violet Blonde for evenings.

You’re only allowed use three make-up products for the rest of your life – what are they?
D: Foundation, liquid eyeliner and red lipstick! So Laura Mercier Silk Creme, Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner and MAC Lady Danger. Don’t ask me again or I’ll change my mind!

S: I always maintain that all I need is my eyebrows on, some mascara and a flash of colour on the lips and I’d be happy out. Right now, that would mean Anastasia Brow Duo in Medium Brown, Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Mascara and something versatile like MAC Morange lipstick that can be worn as an in-your-face orange lip or blotted down to a lovely, light coral-orange stain.

Don’t forget to check out Viva Adonis and follow the girls on Facebook and Twitter.

Irish Rail Twitter typo results in hilarity

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Jul 29, 2014

by Amber Saunders

Today’s epic fail goes to Irish Rail (sorry)!

The company took to their Twitter account this morning to announce that the Drogheda-Bray train would be delayed due to an ill passenger…

Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for everyone else, “ill” was typed as “bill” and so the great sarcastic Irish humour quickly came into play, resulting in comedy gold.

People were very, very worried about the wellbeing of poor Bill, with many writing: “Is Bill ok?”

We do of course hope that the ill passenger on board was ok, too.

New York bar sign goes viral for banning ‘Irish drunks’

Lifestyle

Jul 26, 2014

by Amber Saunders

A sign put up in the window of a New York bar and restaurant seems to have sparked a big reaction!

The sign in the window of 'The Dock Bar and Gill' in Montauk reads, “No to Yapping Mutts, Irish Drunks, Screaming Kids, Cells Phones, Strollers and Public Restrooms.”

Pauline Turley, originally from Co. Down in Northern Ireland, noticed the sign and told Irishcentral.com, “I was taken aback by the way that kind of stereotype was so blatantly displayed. ‘No Irish Drunks,’ that’s very pointed.”

The bar’s owner, George Watson said the sign is okay because he is of Irish decent and is “also a drunk at times”.

“There’s a large Irish contingent out here and once they attacked me – verbally – so we added ‘No Irish Drunks’ to the list. If you spoke about any other religion or race they would probably take offense to it, but the Irish have a sense of humour,” said George.

Pauline admits most Irish would probably see the funny side of this, but suggests maybe that isn’t a good thing.

She said, “Why would you put up a sign like that knowing no one else would tolerate it? There’s that line ‘God invented drink so the Irish wouldn’t take over the world,’ and we do laugh at, but I think there are very serious undertones that we as Irish people need to think about and say ‘Hold on a minute, is that how we want to be seen?"

“I love Irish bars and hospitality; they’re the best in the world. I love to socialize and tell stories and have a good glass, but we have to remind people that there’s a lot more to the Irish than their perceived ability to drink," she said.

What do you think – offensive, or all in good humour?

Americans share some solutions to Irish issues

Uncategorized

Jul 24, 2014

by Amber Saunders

Oh, this is too good.

Irish YouTuber, Riyadh K, went around the city of Austin, Texas, to find out what Americans would do about some issues we have in Ireland.

These issues don’t exist, making it all the more hilarious.

From leprechauns robbing our homes to the Queen asking for Ireland back, let’s just say some of these solutions are interesting!

How every Irish girl acts when the sun comes out

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Jul 17, 2014

by Amber Saunders

We all love a bit of sunshine, and let’s face it, it doesn’t happen too often!

Clisare, who created that hilarious video Shite Irish Girls Say, has done it again with another brilliant (and spot on) video.

What more could you need when the sun comes out in Ireland only oil and vodka.

So how exactly do Irish people break up with each other?

Relationships

Jul 17, 2014

by Amber Saunders

Electric Ireland have done a survey to find out the habits of Irish people when it comes to breaking up with each other, as part of their ‘Breaking Up With Bills’ campaign.

The results we’re pretty interesting – apparently 21% of us have broken up with someone over a text message or email. And men are twice as likely as women to misbehave, in order for their other half to do the dirty work.

Not cool guys, seriously.

If you made it through April with your relationship intact, you should be ok, as it’s the most popular month for breaking up. Whereas in October we must like cuddling up in front of the fire as the evenings get darker, as it’s the least popular month for break ups.

Social media is a tricky one for us to deal with post-break-up as well, one in three of us have de-friended an ex on Facebook, and more than half update their new relationship status immediately.

However, we’re an optimistic bunch at the end of the day, with 70% of people believing that it IS possible to be friends with an ex. Men in particular think this is very possible (though they weren’t the ones with their other halves misbehaving on purpose now were they?!)

New Irish film GOLD looks like it could be one of the best

Uncategorized

Jul 16, 2014

by Amber Saunders

The official trailer has been released for GOLD, a new film by IFTA winning writer and director Niall Heery, and it looks it could be up there with some of the best Irish films to date.

The film tells the story of Ray, a father on a mission to re-connect with the daughter and ex-girlfriend that he hasn’t seen in 12 years. However, it turns out they are now living with his former controlling and regimented P.E. teacher and as you can imagine, his attempts to reconnect with his daughter don’t go as planned.

The film stars Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones, David Wilmot from Calvary, Kerry Condon from The Runway and James Nesbitt from The Hobbit, and judging from the trailer, they give a great performance throughout.

We can’t wait for this to be released this autumn – we’ve a feeling there will be many a laugh had at ‘Frank the Wank’s’ expense!

29 memories of primary school that every Irish person has

Uncategorized

Jul 14, 2014

by Amber Saunders

1. “An Bhfuil Cead Agam Dul Go Dtí An Leithreas?”
Most important phrase of your childhood.

2. “Téigh A Choladh”
And this was the extent of your knowledge of the Irish language by the time you left primary school.

3. Calling Your Teacher Mammy/Daddy
The single most embarrassing thing that could happen to you at this age.

4. Nearly Dislocating Your Arm Trying To Get Picked
And making yourself as small as possible when you didn’t.

5. Fingers On Lips
Your teacher usually blackmailed the class into being quiet by threatening to cancel P.E. or something similar if you weren’t quiet.

6. Pokemon/Yu-Gi-Oh Cards
Two of the biggest crazes that people born in the 90s lived through.

7. Terrible School Tours
Usually to some really boring local information centre or museum.

8. And Then The One Good One At The End Of The Year
Wooooo!

9. Forcing Your Parents To Sit Through Terrible Christmas Plays
You spent months preparing for these plays, memorising lines and preparing costumes. But if you think back to them, just imagine how bad they must’ve looked.

10. Getting To Wear Your Own Clothes On The Last Day Before Christmas
Obviously this only applies to schools that had a uniform.

11. Elastic Ties
Again only for those with uniforms, Mammies everywhere would be horrified when you broke it using it as a missile.

12. Everyone Getting A Selection Box For Secret Santa
Boring and all as it was to give as a present, it was exactly what we wanted every year.

13. And The Teacher Having Back-Ups For The Kids Who Inevitably Forgot To Bring Theirs In
Teachers were effectively just our parents from 9 to 3, so this is no surprise.

14. Spelling Tests
Those were the days, when all that was required to pass a test was to know how to spell 20 words, and make sure all of the letters you wrote were facing the right way.

15. Insisting That Your Artwork Be Put On The Fridge At Home
A litre of PVA glue went into making that masterpiece, there’s no way you’re letting that go to waste.

16. Not Being Allowed To Swap Food At Lunch
Because who knows what any student was allergic to. Or maybe it was something to do with hygiene.

17. The Foot And Mouth Scare
Memories of dipping your shoes into buckets…

18. Gold Stars EVERYWHERE
Get 10/10 in your spelling test? Gold star. Answer a question right? Gold star. Téigh a choladh the fastest? You guessed it, gold star. Teachers spent and continue to spend thousands of euro every year on gold stars.

19. Sports Day
More competitive than the Olympics.

20. The Kid With The Smelly Lunch
Very very smelly. You always empathized with the person sitting next to them.

21. Tara & Ben/Alive-O/Letter Land
Some of the great books that were part of the primary school experience for most people.

22. Injections
The only benefit to getting injections was that you got some sort of chocolate bar or sweets to keep you quiet.

23. Practising To Receive Your First Holy Communion With Chocolate Buttons
Or practising with wafers, if your school was mean.

24. Getting Ridiculously Excited When You Got Picked To Bring Something To The Office
Most of the arm dislocations happened when the teacher asked for a ‘helper,’ which could be to do anything from cleaning the blackboard to bringing something to another classroom, or the office, as outlined above.

25. When The TV Trolley Was Wheeled Into Class
With projectors in every classroom and broadband internet, primary school children of today will never experience this excitement.

26. Being Really Embarrassed At Sex Ed
The uncontrollable laughter made it impossible for the teacher to do much work. Not that it mattered, most people had the gist of how things worked down there by this stage.

27. Circle Time!
Moving the desks against the walls, rearranging the chairs, someone usually started messing during all of this activity and ended up not being allowed to take part.

28. No Homework On Fridays
The single biggest shock when you entered secondary school is that you had to do work over the weekend.

29. No Homework On Birthdays
And it was so annoying when your birthday fell on the weekend, or during the summer. Especially considering no one had any sympathy for you.

via our content partner CT

S! TV VIRAL: American’s taste test Irish food

Jul 10, 2014

by Amber Saunders

Another hit from Buzzfeed. Their staff have bravely opted in to taste test our Irish delicacies. Some of what they are treated to include Tayto’s, Cadbury’s Turkish Delight and black pudding to which they refer to as ‘blood sausage’. We also have a problem with their choice of Tayto’s. Smoky bacon? Surely we’re more renowned for the cheese and onion!

The video is pretty hilarious and well worth a look. Anyone wanna try an ‘Irish taste tests American food’ version? Now that’d be worth a watch!

irish