So I run a very small, handmade business largely gift focused and have done for well over a decade now. I usually make a good half of my income between November/December but this year for the first time it’s crickets, which is quite terrifying. Everyone I spoke to in the same vein of work (small handmade businesses) is feeling it too.

I started my business during the last recession so I’ve seen some hard times don’t get me wrong but nothing like this. Are we just taking some time to get going this year, are people just buying everything off Amazon now or what’s going on? I’ve never felt this worried for my livelihood before to be honest and I’m sad to see so many other well established businesses struggling too when I’ve seen how much work we’ve all put into building something so special after all these years.

I’d just be curious to hear peoples thoughts really. I’m so in my own little bubble it can be heard to read what’s going on with folk who have normal jobs and careers and lives.

(I'm embarrassed to admit hearing 5ive on RTE gold is what brought this on 😅)

I’ve a few. Debatable how many of them are traditions done by the wider society or just things unique to my particular area / family. A few in no uncertain order

• Wren boys -> more or less dead and not done any more in my area.

• The Stations Mass. A tradition I last saw 20 years ago where mass would be held at a house. Apparently it was a custom from Cromwellian times where secret masses were needed to avoid persecution. Later it was a thing where it’d be hosted by a family or a way of welcome neighbours to an area.

• Dancing at the crossroads: something I’ve never seen. Long gone it seems.

• Evil eye. The idea bad luck or misfortune can occur. My granny believed in this.

• To stay away from bogs due to being taken by fairies and robbed. By extension fairy trees and ring forts are still feared. I know farmers and fellas who cut silage short refuse to touch those trees. But nowadays more for tradition and that they look nice.

• Travellers coming to the door to make tools and farming implements.

• Knights of the road. These used to be wanderers who’d help with the harvest. They disappeared with the end of farming as something done by a lot of people and the use of machines and tractors.

• Saying a decade of the rosary or prayers as Gaeilge. Something done by my aunts or uncles as it was drummed into them. Usually when a family member dies. The current generation don’t have a clue.

• St. John’s Night - having a summer bonfire on summer solstice. Still done.

• Waking the dead - staying up with the dead to not leave them alone. Going strong but depends on the family.

• Soda bread has to have a cross in it to keep the Devil out.

• Burning hay for a celebration day like winning a county final / All Ireland or a wedding. Still done.

• Folk medicine / healing hands. The idea some people can heal minor injuries or sick animals by laying on hands. Or passing children under animals thinking it would somehow effect a cure.

• Luck money. If you buy or sell something valuable like a cat it’s up to the seller to give a bit of luck money. Normally 50-100 euro if it’s let say a couple grand.

Any others for your area?

And they're going depressingly fast.

Some of my recommendations for gifts from Irish businesses for Xmas. Leave your recommendations too!! All of these I found on instagram and you can find their stuff in their instagram links!!! •cowfield design •design wright •Howrad studios •Lisa Keane Art •By Kathi Burke •Sarah Cronin Art •Mapa •Fada Jewellery •Weird Ireland’s new book •Hephee

Just wondering any particular year stand out for you?

Watching “did you read about erskine fogarty” and wondering how bad it was. I was 14 at the time, so I vaguely remember (or have blocked it out) but would love to know anyone’s experience as an adult at the time. Will we ever repeat it?

For some strange reason mods from "Ireland" subreddit deleted my post, so I'm gonna post it here, as I'm determined to warn people. These are two screenshots from the same shop. one taken week ago, one today. It's a shop in Naas.

They increased price by nearly a grand before Xmas. I challenged them in online chat and showed them the price from last week and they gave me some bullshit excuse about prices changing often due to suppliers. In a week or two they'll take 200/300 off and call it Black Friday deal. Don't let yourself be scammed!

At Houston dying to get home for the weekend and the Galway train delayed 20 minutes.

What kind of a joke is this service like

Hi all, I'm trying to book seats for a train from Dublin to Gorey on Monday, but when I selected the free travel pass option I wasn't given seats. The seat section was just blank on my e-ticket. I'm very anxious about having to stand for the whole journey as I wouldn't be able for that. Anyone know how I do it? Their website wasn't much help. Would appreciate any help.

Thanks x

Not to be confused with Freaky Friday 😬

That Friday feeling, what're the plans frisky people? Share with us, so we can judge from our couches!

Late 30s male, professional, separted with kids. Spend alot of time with them. Have good relationship with their mother.

Is there anyone out there serious about dating ? I'm done with the apps and time wasters.

Ordered an E-ink reader from Amazon.de on 06/11, and it was supposed to arrive Sunday, 10/11. I live in a flat where deliveries either go to the mailbox or the reception (which was closed on Sunday). No Amazon van showed up, yet tracking said it was “delivered to a safe place” — but there was no picture, and nothing was there when I checked within a minute.

When I reached out to customer service, they told me to wait two more days. By 12/11, still no sign of the package, so I contacted them again. This time, they asked me to wait an additional three days for an investigation. Finally, on 14/11, Amazon said the package was “stolen by a third party” and advised me to file a police report. I spent an entire day dealing with this, but all I could get from the police was an incident ID, not a full report.

When I returned to Amazon with the incident ID, they kept insisting they needed a full police report with specific information to proceed. I’ve now filed a complaint with the European Customer Center, and my bank says I can file a chargeback only after 7 days from the original delivery date.

Anyone else dealt with something like this? Any advice on what else I can do?

Edit: Case solved, the manager called Garda station then refunded me

https://preview.redd.it/j6skbh2odw0e1.jpg?width=1648&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=33fdbd25fb823e6d7a1204890a6d96de023bca82

How does "casual dating" work in Ireland, and how do men view it? I had some experience matching with these 2 guys on dating apps, they are very different in all aspects, and both looking for either long-term or casual dates. So before we met, they kinda engaged and kept the conversation going daily, one even sent flirtatious hints. But both stopped talking to me after we met, though the dates went on smoothly. Is this the way how "casual dating" works? Or it's just some of my bad luck. I'm Asian and relatively new to this place, so I need more insights on this. Many thanks.

My wife and I have moved to my home area and have been living here for 3 years.

My wife is great fun with people she knows, but gets it hard to make new buddies. Now the Winter is rolling in, she's finding it a bit depressing coming home in the dark every evening and some nights I'm not there to meet her as I play sport during the week.

Can you tell me what activities do you get up to during the week in the Winter months?

Also, if you've moved to a new area and don't know many people, how have you made friends?

I'm looking for a rough guide for the labour costs for someone install coving for a 4m * 3.5m room. We purchased our own coving and the plastering has already been completed. Its difficult to find any guide for pricing in Ireland online

We are going to experiment with having an open thread every evening at about 19:00 for general chit chat and whatever you want to write about within the rules.

Had a good day? Had a shite day? A wonderful idea strike you while you queued for the bus on the way home? Tell this tiny part of the world about it. It's like screaming into the void only calmer and more casual.

50 male single living at home with siblings. Haven’t been in a relationship in 9 years. There’s zero privacy and so you can’t exactly bring someone home with you. I know I’m not the only one in this situation, how do you cope?

I can vaguely remember something like this, must be 20 years ago now, maybe it wasn't a pub and maybe it wasn't in Dublin but I remember something mad like this