As an Irish musician, I’ll note Irish culture has an outsized footprint globally. It’s probably top 3 most successful folk styles, these tunes are played throughout the globe. And counting Irish poets and writers amongst some of the best, I’d say Ireland has historically done well culturally. Whatever the merits of this specific program, there’s a lot of potential cultural value to be kindled.
And pubs! I'm not Irish, but it's very comforting going half-way across the world to somewhere like Florence or Hamburg, and going to an Irish pub where everyting feels familiar.
