To the uninitiated, Twitter can be a bit of mine field. It's where memes and news stories are often born and, in many ways, it's a language in and of itself. And then, of course, you've got the specific subculture that is Irish Twitter which is a whole other ball game.
We here at LADBible understand that it can be overwhelming trying to stay on top of a platform that feels like if you blink, you'll miss something crucial. That's why we've put together this nifty guide to the best of what's occurred on Irish Twitter this week - the funniest memes, the hottest takes and the moments that just made us say WT actual F.
So grab a cuppa, sit back and catch up on all the best tweets you might have missed this week, safe in the knowledge you can regurgitate them all to your friends as though they're your original thoughts in the coming week.
LOL - This week's funniest tweets
We're still searching in adulthood for something to match the feeling smugness you felt knowing your friends were in school savouring their measly 20 minute 'small break' whilst you lounged on your couch watching seemingly endless reruns of Friends on E4.
It's been another wild week in the ongoing calamity of the cyber attack against the HSE. We guess next time it takes us three CAPTCHA attempts and password reset to log in we'll be more appreciative that these measures to protect our data exist.
The Twittersphere has been buzzing this week by the arrival of Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey who recently landed in Dublin to begin filming the sequel to Enchanted with Amy Adams. He caused a particular stir after paying a visit to classic Dublin chipper Leo Burdock's. We haven't felt this alive since Matt Damon's notorious tenure in Dalkey during the first lockdown last year.
It may not have been a great year for Ireland at the Eurovision but that didn't stop us enjoying the grand final held in Rotterdam last Saturday. The talk of the evening was, of course, Italy who took home the crown thanks to their provocative performers Måneskin who brought a touch of glam rock to the typically family friendly show. Irish writer and journalist Amy O'Connor here helps us put our finger on where we last saw such impressive leather pants.
The chicken fillet roll is a sacred emblem in Ireland. Although there often tends to be some variables at play, such as the age-old question of plain or spicy chicken, there are certain conditions that must be met in every instance of ordering this delicacy. It physically pains us to see this kind of desecration, captured here by @taxfraudster.
We're nearly, nearly at what feels like the finish line of this perpetual state of lockdown but our social options are still pretty limited. It's important to savour what few of life's luxuries we can access as evidenced here by Aisling Marron.
TBH - Tweets that made us go 'Hmm...'
Joe Duffy's Liveline radio show on RTÉ Radio 1 is always a great source of comedy, provided you're able to see the funny side of the oft bigoted Irish mammies who call in their droves to wax lyrical about whatever progressive issue is being debated that day. This week listeners were treated to a particularly furious debate over whether or not Margaret Atwood's seminal novel The Handmaid's Tale, one of the most critically acclaimed books of all time, was an appropriate text to be included on the Leaving Cert curriculum.
No prizes for guessing what the general consensus was from those who felt compelled to call in. The irony that censorship is a central theme to the book was, of course, entirely lost on these individuals but thankfully pointed out by many on social media including the Irish Independent journalist Gabrielle Monaghan.
We continue to lose faith in humanity this week, a loss supported by this needless act of cruelty against a homeless man highlighted here by Senator Lynn Ruane. We are pleased to report however that following a slew of backlash, the wooden structure blocking the doorway has apparently since been removed. It's just a shame it takes a public shaming to achieve such a basic act of decency towards an individual who is already hard on their luck and clearly vulnerable.
It's been something of a monumental week as Ireland became the first European Union country to condemn the "de facto annexation" of Palestinian land by Israeli authorities. It's brilliant that we, a country with its own storied history of colonisation, have been able to take such a clear stance against the ethnic cleansing and terrorism being endured by the Palestinian people who supported us through our own struggles as shown here by this incredible photo shared by Ciara McShane. Fingers crossed this act of condemnation is just the beginning of both Ireland and the EU's efforts to achieve peace in Palestine.
WTF - An ode to the tweet we just didn't see coming
Okay, so perhaps it's not totally true to say we didn't see this one coming. If you spend any time on Twitter at all, you'll undoubtedly have been met with the hateful bile of professional troll and, seemingly, deeply trouble woman Gemma O'Doherty. In typical fashion, she has been causing quite the raucous this week following her participation in a Zoom event during which she took opportunity to spew her usual anti-queer drivel.
The one-time journalist caused particular upset and confusion this week by remarking that she doesn't know a single gay person who is happy and that this is due to their 'miserable', 'promiscuous' and 'dark' lifestyles. It should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody that happy, content gay people do not want to get to know Ms. O'Doherty.
We're not going to increase O'Doherty's platform by including the video here, instead we would direct your attention to this poignant tweet by food writer and restaurant critic Tom Doorley which offers some insight into the sort of individual O'Doherty appears to be to those who have endured her company in person.
