April 5, 2025: Homebrew Inspiration With Weird Ireland

My husband and I love worldbuilding for our TTRPG campaigns. Part of the fun of creating a setting is making it feel lived in – creating cities, towns, roads, and vistas in between. And while there's nothing wrong with A Great Legendary Place Beyond The Mountains, there's also something to be said for the fantasy equivalent of The Corn Belt . . . and for quirky landmarks that make you laugh.

Weird Ireland is an Instagram account hosted by Brinsley McNamara. Each post gives you a glimpse of the oddities that underlie everyday life on the Emerald Isle. Some showcase Ireland's mythic past; others are simply fun. (For example, my husband's home county of Louth is featured both for Cu Chulainn's Stone and a potato vending machine.) My favorite post so far is about Donnelly's Hollow, where a monument commemorates a bare-knuckle brawl for the ages.

-- Katie Duffy