Nicole Taylor is a Junior at Lasell College in Newton, Massachusetts. She is currently interning with Olytico as part of the CAPA study abroad programme.
Each week Olytico tracks the trending topics on Twitter in Ireland and across the globe. Here’s the Top 10 Trends in Ireland from the week ending April 4th 2016.
1. #Centenary
On Monday, March 28th, RTÉ’s Centenary programme was broadcasted live from the Bórd Gáis Energy Theatre and has since been reflected on by the Irish population in commemoration of the Easter Rising.
“The show aimed to ‘tell the story of modern Ireland through music, song and dance’…President Michael D Higgins delivered an address to the audience in which he said that the centenary commemorations are about celebrating the actions of people who fought and died so that future generations could live in a free and sovereign Ireland.” (Irish Times)
Where ever you are in the world you can watch #Centenary available on @RTEplayer https://t.co/A8AoXmr3qT #rte1916 pic.twitter.com/h9IpNtuMMt
— RTÉ (@rte) April 2, 2016
On March 28th, RTÉ Reflecting the Rising offered hundreds of talks as well as debates, music, theatre, films, walking tours and multi-media displays that explored the events of Easter Week and its aftermath. “Reflecting the Rising aims to provide Irish people of all ages with a one day canvas on which to explore the Rising and our relationship with it, both historically and contemporaneously.” (ireland.ie)
There were several locations involved in the event including St. Stephen’s Green, the Gaiety Theatre, the Mansion House, Royal College of Surgeons, the National Library of Ireland, Trinity College, City Hall, Liberty Hall, the Abbey Theatre, the Four Courts, the Smithfield area and the National Museum at Collins Barracks.
People are having mad craic at the ceili beside the National Concert Hall #ReflectingTheRising pic.twitter.com/tamfhc5lrZ
— Michelle Hennessy (@michellehtweet) March 28, 2016
3. #AprilFools
On April 1st of every year, people perform pranks, tricks, and hoaxes to poke fun at friends and family. The hashtag #AprilFools trended on Twitter in Ireland with some entertaining April Fools images, giphys, and memes.
We've replaced the insides of biscuits with toothpaste and put them in our kitchen. Now we wait #AprilFools pic.twitter.com/gi7ixJL1qK
— innocentIreland (@innocentIreland) April 1, 2016
On Monday, March 28th, “over 850 delegates representing 40,000 teachers, north and south were expected in Wexford for the start of INTO Annual Congress.” (into.ie) The three day conference was addressed by INTO President Emma Dineen. Patricia King General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions also spoke at the conference.
The agenda included teachers’ pay and promotions, funding of schools, class sizes, special education, school leadership and increasing workload. Top of the agenda was pay equality for new entrants.
Equal pay for equal work #INTOCongress16 pic.twitter.com/G2nYlRMIip
— INTO (@INTOnews) March 29, 2016
5. #EastEnders
On March 30th, BBC bosses confirmed they will be filming a six-part series in Waterford during the months of May and June – and recently searched for locals in Ireland to take part in the filming! A number of casting sessions for roles in the show took place over the weekend, including a call at Waterford Harbour Sailing Club in Dunmore East on April 1st and at The Central Arts on The Quay in Waterford on Saturday April 2nd.
Stars Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace are no strangers to Ireland, having starred in a production of The Perfect Murder at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in February.
Want to star opposite Kat and Alfie in #Eastenders? Bosses are casting in Ireland this week! https://t.co/UuRB42UbUx pic.twitter.com/qzy8NkpgJn
— Littlewoods Ireland (@LittlewoodsIRL) March 30, 2016
On March 30th, Little Mix, currently the biggest selling girl band in the UK, performed at the 3 Arena in Dublin. The destinations of the Get Weird Tour include most of Europe, parts of Asia, and Australia.
Little Mix delivers “a string of anthems, but just enough twisted beats to set them apart from the rest of the pop pack and establish themselves as an intriguing and innovative force in pop culture.” (independent.ie)
The girls explain: “it is all about embracing your inner weirdness, being yourself and building self-confidence, which is a refreshingly positive message to offer to a young audience, and considerably more advanced than the somewhat vague 90s notion of girl power.” (independent.ie)
Who's ready?? #GetWeirdTourDublin pic.twitter.com/TY8mjH1AMx
— Sony Music Ireland (@SonyMusicIre) March 30, 2016
7. #BahrainGP
On April 4th, the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) in Sakhir was flooded with fans and teams for the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2016. The teams competing included: Manor, Mercedes, Force India, Mclaren, Pirelli, Renault, Williams, Red Bull, Ferrari, Toro Rosso, Sauber, and Haas.
“Nico Rosberg put in a dominant drive as he claimed his second successive victory to start the 2016 Formula 1 season. He charged off the start line cleanly and immediately took over as the leader before enjoying a flawless and untroubled race from then on.” (CircuitProDigital)
What F1 needs is for this run from @nico_rosberg to continue for another few races. Really put the pressure on @LewisHamilton 👌🏼#BahrainGP
— Carl Mullan (@CarlMullan) April 3, 2016
8. #LEINvMUN
On Saturday, April 2nd, Leinster hosted and defeated Munster in a heated match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. “Following the win, Leo Cullen’s (Leinster coach) men now move to the top of the Guinness Pro12 table, while Munster drop to fifth place. Johnny Sexton proved the difference between the two sides, scoring all of Leinster’s points on his provincial return – including a try in the opening half.” (UTV.ie)
Nice moment captured after tonight @PRO12rugby game between @leinsterrugby and @Munsterrugby pic.twitter.com/GuvdazWK6I
— Inpho Photography (@Inphosports) April 2, 2016
9. Zaha Hadid
Dame Zaha Hadid, age 65 and the world-renowned architect whose designs include the London Olympic Aquatic Centre, died on March 31st due to a heart attack.
Hadid’s buildings have been commissioned around the world and she was the first woman to receive the Royal Institute of British Architects Gold Medal. Richard Rogers, the architect of the Pompidou Centre said, “Among architects emerging in the last few decades, no one had any more impact than she did. She fought her way through as a woman. She was the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize. I got involved with her first in Cardiff when the government threw her off the project in the most disgraceful way. She has had to fight every inch of the way. It is a great loss.” (Irish Times)
Sad to hear of the passing of Zaha Hadid @ZHA_News Visionary #architect and inspirational woman pic.twitter.com/fdWAtVqx7L
— Deanna O'Connor (@DeannaO_Connor) April 1, 2016
To celebrate the return of The Powerpuff Girls to the Cartoon Network in the United States, Powerpuff Yourself has been created as a fun way to be a part of that return. Much of Ireland has Powerpuffed themselves and shared their avatars on Twitter – some even have a background with rain falling. (dailyedge.ie)
This is brilliant – #PowerpuffYourself #Me pic.twitter.com/ZjJ61pND1c
— CROSSY (@CrossyTweets) April 4, 2016
If you want to find out more about what trended in Ireland over the last seven days [or have any other social media listening requirements], send Olytico a request at info@olytico.com.