28-year-old Sarah Madden has an online shop where she sells items with distinctly Irish sayings like: ‘stop the lights’, ‘away with the fairies’, ‘scarlet for ye’, ‘deadly’ and ‘gerrup ow’da’.
The one-woman business ‘anotherpoxysarah,’ was meant to be a lockdown hobby, but four years later, it’s so much more.
“I love listening to our slang and thinking, ‘how did we end up here,’ knowing there’s a real logic and history behind it all is so cool,” Madden told the Irish Independent.
“I hope it never dies and is passed down for generations to come.
“There’s something quite special about the wit and character of the Irish people. It’s such an important and long-standing part of our culture.
“We have a way of making light of even the most serious of situations and can poke fun at ourselves along the way. There’s a real sense of community, inclusivity, and comfort in it too. Nothing beats the craic.
“Initially, anotherpoxysarah was never intended to be a business. During those first two weeks of lockdown in 2020, I decided to set up an Instagram page for my art in a bid to keep my designs and selfies separate for those who didn’t want to see both.
“It was just a space for me to keep my art and see my progress, but after just a couple weeks I began to have complete strangers reach out asking me if they could purchase prints.
“So, I bought a printer and set up an online shop in October of that year. I guess it kind of happened by accident, I was incredibly lucky with the support I received in the beginning from both people I knew and complete strangers.”
If you’re feeling like an absolute chancer and are willing to act the maggot with your online shopping, Madden has a variety of keyrings, prints, stickers and greeting cards available on her website.
“The most popular pieces right now are Bollix Bread, Give Over Pint and Can’t Be Arsed Orange,” she added.
“People love a good pun and seeing something familiar but with a twist to it. We’re a real nostalgic bunch.
“My customers are predominantly Irish people or people who have come to live in Ireland and understand the humour. I would say there is no particular age group or gender specific, it is quite varied.
“I would get the odd order heading across Europe or further to America or Oz [Australia] too. It’s always to expats who want something to remind them of home.”