Ok, it’s being made into a series. If I’m going to spend so much time on TikTok I may as well write about it. TikTok trends come and go extremely quickly. So quickly, in fact, it’s nigh on impossible to keep up! That’s why I’ll be writing about TikTok Trends Explained. I’ll be keeping up with the biggest trends and explaining them so you know what your kids are up to. I’ve already covered the Adult Swim trend and next up is the Nobody Nobody TikTok trend.
What Is The Nobody Nobody TikTok Trend?
The Nobody TikTok trend plays to the sound of “Nobody” by Mitski.
The trend is believed to have started at the end of May by body positive influencer, Sienna Mae Gomez. She posted a video of her running on a beach, getting faster as the song builds tempo before bursting into a sprint.
This trend gained momentum as Gomez was accused of sexual assault, which she has since denied, with commenters suggesting she was running from the accusations in the trend.
As a result, the Nobody trend has gone viral on TikTok.
What’s The Meaning Of The Nobody TikTok Trend?
So with the ugly context set out, it’s easier to understand the wider meaning of the trend. Now, TikTok creators are posting videos of themselves running from their problems. For example, a girl posts a video of herself running down a dock towards the water. The idea is that her grandparents are asking “why a lovely girl like her hasn’t settled down with a boy”. She jumps into the water to escape as the song reaches its peak.
There are lots of similar posts and know you know what to look out for! You might also need to know about “icks”.
What Are Icks?
“Icks” are a new way to describe pet-peeves. They’re emerged on as a TikTok trend in and of themselves but also appear alongside the Nobody trend. “Icks” can be something small that bothers you, usually about your partner, or someone close to you. Examples include really liking someone until they start liking you or finding someone attractive until you realise they have poor grammar.
It’s all the important news you learn here people.
On June 30th, Sophie: A Murder In West Cork drops on Netflix. This documentary explores the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in the small town of Schull, County Cork. I was massively excited to watch this given I’d already listened to the gripping podcast, West Cork. The story of du Plantier’s death has surged every couple of months since the gruesome events of 1996 took place, but is this Netflix documentary worth watching?
A Murder In West Cork: Incredible Access
It’s very difficult to dismiss this as a bad documentary, not least because it shares an executive producer with Man On Wired in Simon Chinn, a double Oscar winner. It’s got clout. But it’s easy to let that distract from the fact you learn very little about the facts of the case from watching Sophie: A Murder In West Cork.
The documentary gets incredible access to all involved in the case. Prime suspect, Ian Bailey, openly invites the Netflix crew into his home and speaks openly with them. Dermot Dwyer, Garda Detective Superintendent who led the investigation, is a charismatic, wise-cracking detective who oozes pure Irish country energy. The full family of Sophie are involved too, from her parents to her son and wider family, though her husband does not participate.
Garda Detective Superintendent Dermot Dwyer
All of this access, on the surface, suggests we will get a complete picture of Sophie’s murder and the impact it has. While we see the impact on many, the documentary itself feels like it’s trying to keep everyone involved on board.
Speaking to the Guardian, producer Sarah Lambert outlines how du Plantier’s cousin, who participates in the series, had just three requests. One of them is “not to show the body of Sophie”. Understandable from a family member, but as viewers, we’re left unsure of the details. How far from her home did this take part? Who found her? Significant details prior to Sophie arriving in Ireland are omitted and casually mentioned in the final episode. Did investigators know about this? A gate covered in blood from the crime scene goes missing after being booked into evidence. How or why did that happen and get just one line in the series? There’s no real investigation into the work of local Gardaí which seemed below par especially if you have listened to the West Cork podcast.
Starting Threads But Not Pulling At Them
A Murder In West Cork feels like it finds the start of a lot of stories, but refused to really pull on any of them for fear of finding something. Throughout, the documentary rushes key elements of the story leaving us feeling shortchanged on details. The irony here is that Netflix has a reputation for dragging out their documentary series over too many episodes, yet here it feels rushed. In lieu of detailed facts on the case, are chatter from the locals offering opinions. The result is an audience being asked to evaluate a broad range of opinions to arrive at a conclusion without very many facts at all.
Now, there’s something almost beautifully poetic in this being the case. The entire story of the murder could be described as being lacking of facts but brimming in opinion. But the moment I arrived at the conclusion over whether or not to recommend this came with the oddly timed arrival of Jim Sheridan’s documentary, Murder at the Cottage on Sky, which also investigates du Plantier’s death.
Many locals are interviewed in both, though Sheridan’s documentary is less formulaic. Specifically, I mean that it’s lacking the Netflix formula. One of the first things I noticed is that the locals being interviewed are framed differently. It’s more adhoc than a Netflix documentary which seems to be almost identical in style from one series to the next. Even the intro scene of news reports over footage of the crime scene has become a recurring theme of Netflix documentaries.
Admittedly, I’ve just managed to get one episode of Murder at the Cottage under my belt, but already it feels like a more in-depth investigation. The murder has been described in greater detail and we’ve seen images from the crime scene. One image of Sophie’s boot immediately had me asking more questions. It looks like a hiking boot which isn’t easy to just chuck on to pop outside for a second, suggesting she took her time before stepping. These are the things that emerge when you’re watching a more detailed documentary. Sheridan’s investigation, which has taken over five years in total, will be spread out across five episodes, so I can only assume that the investigation goes deeper than that of the Netflix team.
Sophie: A Murder In West Cork – Is It Worth Watching?
Sophie: A Murder In West Cork isn’t a bad documentary. It’s just not a very good one. At the end of the day, we watch documentaries to learn enough to form our opinions. Even as wild a story as Making A Murder was, there was an abundance of facts allowing us to arrive at some sort of informed decision. A Murder In West Cork seems to do little more than stoke idle speculation and local gossip, potentially bringing that to an international market now.
If you want to learn about the Sophie Tuscan du Plantier murder, there’s no shortage of places to start. With the West Cork podcast and Sheridan’s new documentary, Netflix’s attempt takes third place. Worth a watch if you’ve already finished the other two.
Final Word
I have one final piece of speculation to add. As the series closes, we find the people of Schull wearing surgical masks when out and about. It’s a reminder that at least some of this documentaries production has occurred in lockdown. A Netflix graphic that loads to promote the trailer shows a poorly photoshopped “Garda” badge onto an officer quite clearly not from Ireland in front of the murder scene. Alongside the oddly similar timing of this series launching so close to Sky’s series, just makes me feel that this whole thing was rushed, in addition to being finished amind COVID-19 restrictions. Perhaps this is why the series suffers a little bit.
Sophie: A Murder In West Cork will stream on Netflix from June 30th but you can already watch the trailer.
Today is a big day for the game developer CD Projekt Red as today marks the return of Cyberpunk 2077 to the PlayStation Store. This was one of the most anticipated games in recent memory, but the launch of the game was arguably the biggest gaming launch disaster since the ET game. The result was customers demanding refunds, getting their money back and Sony pulling the game from the official console store. But for better or for worse, that’s in the past now as the game returns to the PlayStation store today.
When Does Cyberpunk 2077 Return To PlayStation?
Today! It’s available in the official Sony PlayStation store right now.
How Much Does Cyberpunk 2077 Cost On PlayStation?
I’ve just checked and found the game on the PlayStation store for €49.99.
Will The PS4 Version Of Cyberpunk 2077 Work On PS5?
Yes. The PS4 version of Cyberpunk 2077 is fully backwards compatible for PS5.
Will There Be A PS5 Version Of Cyberpunk 2077?
Yes! CD Projekt Red has confirmed there will be a dedicated PS5 version of the game released later in 2021. The really good news is that if you’ve bought the PS4 version of the game, you’ll get the PS5 version at no extra cost. This suggests that the PS5 version of Cyberpunk 2077 will also cost €49.99 but this isn’t always the case.
Has Cyberpunk 2077 Been Fixed?
This is the big unknown. The re-release kind of came out of nowhere so I’m still waiting to see if a review code lands. I’ve already parted cash for this game once before so I’m reluctant to do it again. If you’re still on the fence, sit tight. Either us or someone else will be reviewing soon enough and be able to give you a better idea.
There’s an odd thing happening on the online world. While technology continues to develop amazing 8K screens and the likes, people are shifting towards audio-only experiences. Podcasts have exploded in recent years and during the pandemic live-audio stages like Clubhouse and more recently Twitter Spaces facilitated a load of people coming together for a chat. Today, Spotify Greenroom launched which is the latest innovation and first attempt at a social media platform. Here’s what you need to know.
What Is Spotify Greenroom?
If you’re not familiar with Clubhouse or Twitter Spaces, Spotify Greenroom might seem like a mad idea. Basically, it’s a new app available on iOS and Android where you can join groups and enjoy audio-only conversations about related topics. Beyond listening, you can also raise your hand and take part in the chat. If you want, you can even host your own chats and grow your own following.
How To Get Started With Spotify Greenroom
Getting up and running is pretty easy. Download the Spotify Greenroom app from the App Store or Google Playstore. You can log in nice and handy with your Spotify account. The good news is that you can still join the app if you’re not a Spotify customer.
Once you log in, you’ll be given a list of topics that might be of interest. It’s early days, but this seems to be incredibly important in terms of discovering rooms you’ll enjoy listening to and maybe joining some conversations.
After this, you can search for Greenrooms that interest you. Right now, it’s very sports heavy. This is because the app started as Locker Room. Given time, this should even out with broader tastes.
Why Get Excited About Greenroom?
If you’re a fan of The Blindboy Podcast, you’ll know that his live podcasts are some of the best content he churns out. While Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces are great, they are very much focused on the moment. You have a live discussion and move on. Spotify Greenroom not only lets you do this, but also lets you record and then publish your conversation.
I can see this being a great feature for Goosed.ie hosting some tech talks so watch this space! Sorry, not space. Something less Twitter.
It often leaves me feeling a little uneasy when I’m looking forward to a true-crime documentary. After the light-hearted joy that was Clarkson’s Farm, the next big thing coming to streaming is the Netflix documentary series, Sophie: A Murder In West Cork. It leaves me uneasy simply because Netflix is damn good at these types of documentaries and in Ireland, everyone knows everyone. It’s real life, but you know it’s going to be an incredible piece of telly too.
What Is A Murder In West Cork About?
To use the full title, Sophie: A Murder In West Cork is about the unsolved murder of French documentary producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier, in West Cork in 1996. My “uneasy feeling” does make way when I hear that the series, filmed in West Cork, Ireland and in France, includes new contributions from members of Sophie’s family. Their involvement is key to this landing right. The series includes interviews with residents from Schull and the local press, who are all close to the story.
The Sophie Toscan du Plantier is Ireland’s most infamous murder case but there is still likely a large younger cohort in the country who do not know about it given its effectively modern history. Personally, I vaguely remember the case in the news when I was eight. But it was not until the podcast West Cork, considered to be the best crime podcast since Serial, arrived that I became interested in this remarkable case.
Are There Suspects In The Sophie Toscan du Plantier Murder Case
There is a suspect. A prime suspect. Ian Bailey.
I say suspect, but Bailey has actually been convicted of the murder by French courts in absentia in 2019. He was, however, never charged in Ireland and instead believes Gardaí sought to frame him for the murder.
You can already see why this series has potential to land up there with the likes of Making a Murderer.
When Is Murder In West Cork Coming Out?
You don’t have much longer to wait. Sophie: Murder In West Cork will start streaming on Netflix from 30th June.
Will It Be Worth Watching?
Netflix has a real bad habit of dragging these kind of stories out, unnecessarily, over a series when it could have just been an hour long feature. However, as one person in the trailer highlights, “one thing I’ve learned from this story is that every time you think it has played out, it never fails to surprise you”. So this is the one series that might justify many episodes to get everything covered. Don’t be surprised if something happens in the real world alongside this release and there’s a follow up in a year or two.
Sophie: A Murder In West Cork – Trailer
And today is a special treat. We get a trailer drop too.
I think I’m seeing a trend in my writing where I often open up my reviews by looking to the past. This is no different. Some of the first unorthodox bits of entertainment I watched were Jeremy Clarkson’s car review videos. I don’t mean YouTube videos either, I mean tapes. However, in recent years I’d fallen out of love with his later Top Gear days and Amazon’s Grand Tour because it was all forced and incredibly scripted. I reluctantly turned on Clarkson’s Farm only to find I wasn’t able to turn it off again.
Not that long ago, I remember Clarkson making the headlines in the British Cotswolds. I have no idea what that means either so just read “countryside”. He had blown up his house and started some sort of farm shop. None of it really registered beyond Clarkson simply being Clarkson until this new series popped up on Amazon Prime Video.
It turns out that years ago, Clarkson bought a farm and up until 2019 it was managed by someone who very much knew what they were doing. When it came time for them to retire, some sort of lightbulb went off just above the petrol-head of Clarkson. Whether it was all him or the clan of Jeff Bezos who pushed it through, an eight-part documentary series was born. During these eight episodes, we follow Jeremy Clarkson’s sharp transition from seasoned motoring reviewer to being an out-of-depth farmer. He kicks it all off with a typical Clarkson move, buying the biggest tractor he can find even though it doesn’t fit the farm, just because it has Lamborghini on it.
Thankfully, he isn’t alone. His tractor driver Kaleb Cooper, security and “guy who can kind of do anything” Gerald Cooper, land agent and “guy who is always right” Charlie Ireland and Irish girlfriend Lisa Hogan, amongst others going Clarkson’s journey to avoid disaster.
Clarkson’s Farm Review
Jeremy Clarkson is a divisive man. He doesn’t set out to change that public perception of him one bit in this series. However, Clarkson’s Farm brings the very best of Jeremy back to the screen. Regardless of whether you love him or hate him, this Amazon Original Series is the best entertainment Clarkson has produced in years. Here’s why.
Farming Organic Laughs
My biggest criticism of anything Clarkson has touched in recent years has been that it’s blatantly scripted. I’m talking WWE Wrestling levels of scripted, yet I’m sure die-hard fans of Clarkson refuse to admit that. The Grand Tour, Amazon’s attempt to recapture some magic from the BBC’s Top Gear line up of Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James may after Jeremy’s infamous bust-up on set with producer Oisin Tymon which led to a £100,000 settlement over a racial discrimination and injury claim.
But what Amazon didn’t realise is that they had bought into an already crumbling franchise of presenters. The BBC Top Gear Specials were so laboured and always felt one step short of introducing a laugh track. The Grand Tour still has yet to even come close the success of Top Gear. Amazon has farmed James May and Richard Hammond out to other projects too in an attempt to see who can produce some genuine entertainment but with no real success.
Then came Clarkson’s Farm. Suddenly, after years of forced attempts to make laughs from whipped the dead horse that is three men driving cars around the place, Clarkson could be hilarious on his own on a farm. Clarkson’s buffoonery combined with the very serious nature of farming is a match made in heaven. While we’re not privy to the goings on in the background, I would be shocked to learn if Clarkson’s Farm is scripted anywhere near as much as the Grand Tour.
As soon as those scripted elements come in, they’re just not as funny but it’s not long getting back to the action of Clarkson being generally useless on a farm.
The Ghost Of Clarkson’s Past
Clarkson’s Farm provides plenty of nods to the past that’ll keep those who have all of his videos and DVDs on a shelf happy. Whether it be Jeremy becoming dependent on the local camping site to the point where he must record a promo video for them or that he is now the tractor driver holding up traffic, there’s some moments here that you just have to giggle at knowing the history here.
Turning A New Leaf: Kind Of
I mentioned earlier that Jeremy isn’t going to change for anyone, and this series just solidifies that fact. For example, in one episode of the series, Jeremy is chopping down trees in his forest to let more light into the forest floor as part of his “wilding” project.
Clarkson took to Instagram, saying “I was bored so….”, omitting that there was a very good ecological reason for thinning the volume of trees in the forest. Instead, he baited his followers, knowing this would be a good line in the show.
That’s because Clarkson knows his audience. He still gets to take a pop at cyclists and celebrates a combustion-engine-powered pump being far superior to the solar-powered equivalent. Because Clarkson is still Clarkson. This series is so on-brand for him and it wouldn’t have been entertaining any other way.
We also get to see a much warmer side of Jeremy. Now, call me naive here, but when it comes to his flock of sheep and the lambs that eventually come with that, Clarkson shows his very human side. Seeing his shepherd breaking out the bands to castrate his male lambs, pains Jeremy. Perhaps the biggest moment in the series for me was a visibly upset Clarkson going to say goodbye to three culled ewes only to learn they were already slaughtered moments earlier.
As news of the COVID-19 pandemic breaks, he shows that years of being in the public eye will do little if the virus gets near a man who knows he’s in a high risk category given he is a heavy smoker who had a well-documented case of pneumonia.
Personally, I’ve grown a lot from those early days of watching Clarkson videos, but I’m still not all sure Clarkson has at all. I find a lot of his views childish and know he’s the kind of man who would disagree with me on people using pro-nouns while also getting ruffled over cyclists touring two abreast. But at the end of Clarkson’s Farm, I’ve found myself liking the man again but it’s not all down to Jeremy.
The Farm Is A Family
I was watching Clarkson’s Farm and wondering to myself if the real problem of Clarkson’s more recent work was his co-stars. By the end, I was left wondering if the problem was more Clarkson himself had become bored at the idea of driving around the the same guys trying to make the same thing funny for every hour-long special.
This series was just so fresh that you can see Clarkson is loving it. He’s loving the challenge of life of the farm and dare I say revelling in it. But he also loves the new people he finds himself surrounded by. His tractor driver Kaleb, who’s primary goal is to get a perm, is the perfect person to sit alongside Jeremy. He’s experienced enough for Clarkson to lean heavily on him, but also young enough that you know it pains Jeremy to do so. Similar energy appears between Clarkson’s free spirit approach to farming and Charlie Ireland’s bureaucratic approach to paperwork.
All of the people in the series just work together brilliantly, leading to what is a beautiful metaphor for farming more broadly.
The Verdict: Is Clarkson’s Farm Worth Watching
Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be saying this but it’s a resounding yes from me. Clarkson has run a farm during some of the most challenging conditions and managed to make a damn good series out of it. It’s genuinely entertaining but be warned. This is much more “grown man playing Farming Simulator in real life” than Ear to the Ground.
Reaction elsewhere has been very mixed, but I think that’s a lot of people missing that this is entertainment. Love him or hate him, Clarkson’s Farm sees Jeremy return to his very best.
Clarkson’s Farm is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video. Don’t forget to check out our 2021 Prime Day Shopping Guide and if you try out Prime, you’ll get access to Prime Video to watch this series and all!
From time to time, a series comes along and catches you off guard. You could even say it sneaks up on you. Lupin is one such show and this intro is fitting given the entire life of Assane Diop is played out in the shadows. The first season was split into two halves and the first one was electric. The second dropped on Friday and I’ve binged it. Here’s what I think.
Lupin Part Two
This Netflix Original series is based on the fictional master thief Arsène Lupin. After a cliffhanger and incredible well planned and written first half, Lupin has lost the element of surprise over us, the viewers. In place of surprise has been a bar of expectation set extremely high.
It’s really hard for me to formulate reviews like this. I want to say part two simply doesn’t meet the brilliance of part one, but doing so sells this second instalment short.
When we first meet Assane Diop, he’s a slick and charming gentleman thief, always one step ahead. Lupin Part Two is a worthy follow up and resolution to everything we see in part one, but it suffers from two things. First, is the fact it’s split in half and the delay is a bit of a killer, but if you’re new here, that’s not a problem. Second is the shift from the story focusing on the sheer ingenuity of Diop, into leaping timelines and a rush to tie up loose ends.
Some of the clever smoothness from part one is lost to some ham-handed scenes where you’re left focused on some people’s stupidity instead of Diop’s genius.
While it’s not perfect, as I said, it’s a worthy conclusion to the series and the first half was so strong it easily carries the second half.
Will There Be A Lupin Part Three?
Will it be Lupin Part Three or Lupin Season Two Part One?
That’s anybody’s guess, but the good news is that Lupin will return for another season of something. This has been confirmed by lead actor Omar Sy on Twitter.
On ne peut rien vous cacher. 👀 Lupin partie 3 est confirmée !
We can’t hide anything from you. 👀Lupin part 3 is confirmed!
I don’t believe I ever reviewed the first part of Lupin, so I’m going to review part one and two together. This is arguably the fairest way to score it anyway. It’s a must watch series and excellent story. One of the rare modern classics. Get it on your list if you’ve not watched it yet.
This might become a series if it’s popular, and I think it might be. I’ve been sitting on TikTok at times wondering what the bloody hell a trend is all about. The latest example is the “Adult Swim” trend. Here’s the skinny.
What Is The Adult Swim TikTok Trend?
This is one of the more accessible yet creative trends I’ve seen on TikTok, confirmed by the fact I’ve created a video myself for it.
The whole idea of this trend is to show someone going about a task which ends with “[AS]” appearing somewhere unexpected. There are also variations where “[adult swim]” simply appears as text on the screen.
This trend plays out to the great sounds of VANO 3000 Running Away.
What Is The Adult Swim TikTok Trend About?
If you were one of the posher families in Ireland that had Sky and Cartoon Network, you might be familiar with Adult Swim. After the watershed, Cartoon Network flipped over to show comedy cartoons for the grown-ups with shows like Family Guy and the likes.
The programming would have “indents” or “bumpers” featuring the often deep or cryptic messages followed by the Adult Swim logo. You might be more familiar with these from Channel 4.
This is what TikTok and even Instagram Reel creators are replicating with this trend. Personally, it’s one of my all-time favourites, possibly down to the music.
I’ve completely lost track of how many false dawns electric scooters have had in Ireland. Now, with the country opening up once again, to get around people have been forced back onto public transport despite the massive potential offered by electric scooters. In March we got a sneak peek at what the new micromobility laws would be, but still, electric scooter riders are running the gauntlet. Private owners and shared scooter operators have grown tired of waiting and today have written to Eamon Ryan asking things scoot along a little faster.
The Long Scooter Delay
Free Now, formerly Hailo and a plethora of other names, were among a number of e-scooter and e-bike operators, potential operators and mobility platforms calling on current Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, to “see that the proposed legislation for e-scooters receives its full consideration and passage over the coming weeks”.
It’s clear that right now is an excellent opportunity to stop kicking the can down the road as patience wears thin amongst the operators asking the Government to “commit to a timeline to implement this important legislation”. In the letter, included below, which is they also state that they “believe that it is vital that legislation is prioritised and finalised as soon as possible to allow all relevant processes to take place to ensure we have scooters deployed in the late summer / early autumn months”.
E-scooter Operators’ Letter To Eamon Ryan
We are writing to you as a group of e-scooter and e-bike operators, potential operators and mobility platforms. We are all hugely supportive of the work being undertaken by the Government to legislate for e-scooters as part of the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous) Bill.
We were delighted to see that it is contained in the Summer Legislative Programme. Our ask is to ensure that the Bill receives its full consideration and passage over the coming weeks in order to allow passengers to enjoy the benefits of e-scooters in the Summer and Autumn. Multi-modality will be a hugely important element of our re-opening, ensuring that people have a range of transport options available to them. We would ask the government to commit to a timeline to implement this important legislation.
E-scooters have been found to be a safe and enjoyable transport mode. Many of the signatories to this letter have experience in other countries and understand the need to ensure that safety of passengers and other road users must be paramount. We believe that it is vital that legislation is prioritised and finalised as soon as possible to allow all relevant processes to take place to ensure we have scooters deployed in the late summer / early autumn months.
As the pandemic draws to a close we are keen to continue to support a safe re-opening. We are eager to work with government, regulators and other stakeholders to ensure that scooters are a safe, reliable and enjoyable option for passengers.
Back in July 2015, Amazon celebrated their twentieth birthday by launching Prime Day. They boasted that Prime Day would surpass Black Friday and after an underwhelming first few years with lacklustre offers, it’s fair to say this totally random day has become a significant sales event. Here’s everything you need to know about bagging a bargain in Amazon’s 2021 Prime Day Sales Event.
Reminder: We use Amazon affiliate links. These are the orange links across the site and in this article. When you click these to visit the Amazon.co.uk website, Amazon will pay us a commission for sending you over to them. It doesn’t increase the price for you at all, but by clicking our links, you’re supporting us! In this particular article, this also includes the link to Revolut. So thanks in advance!
Do Irish Shoppers Care About Prime Day?
Before launching into the tips and tricks of finding a great deal during the Prime Day sale, why are we even talking about it?
Amazon has never officially launched a website to service Ireland. Instead, shoppers based in Ireland do all their buying through one of Amazon’s other websites. The vast majority of Irish shopping is done on Amazon.co.uk so naturally, Brexit posed somewhat of a roadblock for all of this, or at least that’s what everyone thought it would be.
At the start of the year, we asked people if they had made a purchase on Amazon since Brexit along with all the complications that came with that. A surprising 40% of people said they had made a purchase at the time.
44% Of Shoppers Weighing Up Prime Day Purchases
Ahead of Prime Day we survey more people in Ireland, asking them if they planned to buy anything during the upcoming sale. 9% of people said they would definitely be buying something. 19% said they were on the fence but would certainly be taking a look at what’s on offer while a further undecided 17% thought a purchase would be unlikely. The remaining 56% said they had no plans at all to but anything.
With all of the perceived barriers to buying from Amazon.co.uk, 44% of people we surveyed were still weighing up the idea of making a purchase during the Prime Day sale. These are pretty remarkable numbers despite the facts that shops back here are reopening along with the persistent idea of “shop local” which often sits uncomfortably with those who do choose to shop with the UK online retail giant.
Prime Day Shopping Tips
Right, so all of that said, how do you make sure you’re getting the most from your Amazon Prime Day shopping?
Get Your Prime Membership
As the name suggests, the Prime Day Sale will require a Prime Membership.
Is Amazon Prime Worth It In Ireland?
It depends on how much you plan to use it, but I personally would say yes.
I’ve had Amazon Prime for some time now and still make fairly regular purchases on their website. Delivery is astonishingly quick with some items even been routed through their relatively new Irish distribution centre. But the shipping is only so fast because I’m a Prime customer so that’s one of the benefits. Along with the Prime Day Sale discounts.
On top of the fairly lively delivery times, you get Prime Video, Prime Reading, Prime Music and Prime Gaming which including Twitch benefits along with a few other bits and pieces.
How Much Does Amazon Prime Cost In Ireland?
Prime typically costs either £7.99 per month or £79 per year. That’s just over €9 per month or €90 per year.
Now, if you’re not nor have ever been an Amazon customer, I have good news. You can also nab yourself a free Prime trial which includes 4-months of Prime Music for free. All in all that trial will give you loads of time to clean up for the Prime Day Sale. Even if you’ve used up your trial, it might be worth paying for a month just to get the discounts.
As always, double check your prices before you buy though. Make sure you’re getting a bargain by visiting some retailers in Ireland online too. For example, if you’re buying a tablet, check out Harvey Norman before you hit buy.
Get A Revolut Account
From ASOS to Amazon, and some other stores that don’t begin with A, I do shop on UK websites from time to time. One absolutely shocking thing I’ve learned is that, where possible, pay in Pound Sterling. Many websites, both Amazon and ASOS being prime (sorry) offenders, will set their own exchange rate when you shop in Euro. The rates are ridiculous. Not that long ago, I saved €67 just by switching to paying in Pounds on ASOS.
But how?
Well, all you need is a Revolut account (note: this is an affiliate link). Once you set up your account, you can get a virtual card immediately while waiting for a physical card (like my nifty Irish Cancer Society card). Once you have a virtual card with some money in your Revolut account and these card details added to your Amazon account, all you need to do is select “Pay in GBP”.
Your Revolut account will then pay in Sterling.
This isn’t a dramatic saving by any stretch of the imagination, but here you would have just saved about 40c. The bigger the purchase, typically, the bigger the saving with this trick.
What To Buy This Prime Day
Straight to it. I’m currently reviewing loads of stuff and I won’t be able to get it all done before Prime Day. However, I’ve tested these things to a point where I would absolutely recommend them. I can’t say for sure if any of these items will be discounted during the Prime Day sale, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for them.
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
Available in both 4G and 5G models, the Samsung Galaxy A52 is a remarkable mid-range smartphone that will keep Netflix hogs and budding photographers happy. Sorry, I should same people watching Prime Video just to keep these whole article on-brand.
So these I have thoroughly tested out over the course of two years and love them. The new Huawei Freebuds 4 are here now and just as good, but if you can pick up the old ones – happy days.
This is a belter of a speaker and something every summer evening barbeque could use. The sound quality is brilliant but so to is the light show! This is a good example of the savings to be had even today too. This would cost you €230 with Harvey Norman but is just €190 on Amazon UK.
If there’s one thing that gets popular around the time of big football competitions, it’s soundbars. The JBL Bar 5.0 just landed in for review and I’m loving it. The sound quality is fantastic along with some handy integrations with the TV so I only need one remote now. The little things in life.
There’s quite a bit of gaming stuff in this section! Generally speaking, JBL is knocking it out of the park lately with their audio products, including the JBL Club One. I’m also playing with the JBL Quantum One gaming headset. To be honest, it’s mainly being used in this house for conference calls because the sound quality and mic is so impressive!
I’m one of the lucky few who managed to buy a PlayStation 5 this year. While I stand by the fact it wasn’t really worth the hype, there are some mighty games starting to roll out. That got me thinking about the official Sony Playstation headset and just then the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 landed in. It’s even in the right colours for PS5!
I love this headset. It’s really comfy and, most importantly, wireless.
This has been the hidden gem in my life in lockdown and the one thing I have that I really want to review soon. The Cricut Joy is a tiny, but mighty, craft printer. It can draw using a marker or even cut out card. The idea is that you can make your own customised things. I’ve already made greetings cards and customised beer glasses with this.
A surprisingly lovely thing to have. You can buy the machine itself or all the bits and bobs that go with it on Amazon.
I say this every year. If you want to buy any of Amazon’s own products, Prime Day is the time to do it. From their Alexa-powered Echo to Fire TV and video calling with the Echo Show, it’ll all likely be discounted heavily for Prime Day.
Having Jeff Bezos listening into everything isn’t for everyone, but if you do want an Echo device, Prime Day is the time to get it.
I bought this after years of wanting to do it and love it. The Raspberry Pi is a powerful little Linux-based computer that can be used to control things or just to learn to code. I’m doing a little of both so I also bought this awesome starter kit from Freenova which is packed full of more circuits and resistors than my secondary school technology classroom.
This is an excellent hobby to take up if you’re enjoying the great indoors.
A random thing I bought that I could probably not live without now. Boom arms are great if you’re a podcaster with a nice mic or, like me, someone who likes to have their phone sitting in a certain way at your desk. I use my phone as a webcam while also shooting unboxing TikToks with it so I need to sit on my desk in funny angles. Now that the pandemic left me with a permanent workspace, this boom arm is a lifesaver. Not literally.
A little over a year ago, ring lights were for the influencers. I’ve been knocked for six at seeing how many people casually have these lying around their homes now. Of course, it makes sense. We’re on video calls more than ever, sitting at funny angles while ring lights offer the perfect solution.
I bought this one myself a few weeks back and with the additional tripod and phone holder, it’s already paid for itself a few times over.
Is your charging cable too short? That iPhone cable on the way out? Just sick of fighting with people at home over who owns which cable? For the love of your own sanity, buy a few more cables to sprinkle around the house.
Personally, I swear by Anker cables. They look pretty cool and are tough to break. Prime Day is a good time to stock up.
I’ve recently started to use an Apple Magic Trackpad 2, but that’s not for everyone. Until now, I’ve been using my beloved Logitech MX Master mouse. It’s extremely comfortable and usually gets a nice discount during the Prime Day Sale. If you’ve been thinking of upgrading one part of your home office set-up, you might very well be surprised how much you grow to love this mouse.
Assuming you’re right-handed as that’s all they make oddly enough.
It’s about the size of a can of Coke, but this is arguably my favourite gadget of all time. It’s also possibly my most used gadget after my own smartphone. I have this in my bedroom and it converts an entire wall into a massive cinema-style screen.
If you’ve been thinking of getting a projector, this might well be worth considering. There are some drawbacks, like if all you care about is stunning resolution and the Android TV software is a bit iffy. However, most nights, I will watch some TV shows or a movie on this and you don’t think about any of this.
