+
Most Shared

'Game of Thrones' might be fantasy, but its economic impact on Northern Ireland is very, very real.

Winter is coming to Westeros and Essos, but the forecast in Northern Ireland is looking bright.

As far as historians are aware, Northern Ireland has never had to contend with dragons, white walkers, or seasons that last for years on end (unless ... maybe that explains why it's always raining there?).

But Northern Ireland has seen its fair share of conflict and turmoil, to the point where a major period of the 20th century in Ireland (from 1968-1998) is actually known as "The Troubles." And, unfortunately, that kind of prolonged unrest can leave a devastating mark on the economy.


However, things are looking up, thanks in part to a little book-series-turned-hit-TV-show called "Game of Thrones."

A "Game of Thrones" fan takes a selfie beside a plaque at Ballintoy Harbour, which appeared as the Iron Islands on the show. Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images.

The fictional fight for the Iron Throne has brought a real economic boom to Northern Ireland.

In the last five years, "Game of Thrones" alone has brought in approximately £110 million (~$170 million) to the Northern Ireland economy.

The HBO show is responsible for creating around 900 full-time jobs and 5,700 part-time jobs in the area, which includes catering, hospitality, and other accommodation services in addition to the film crews, production assistants, and other local artisans that work directly on the show.

Lauren Wethers, a goldsmith at Steensons Jewellers in Glenarm, puts finishing touches on a Dire Wolf sterling silver brooch. Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images.

That's not a bad return on investment, considering the £12.45 million (~$19 million) spent in subsidies and incentives to bring the show there in the first place. (The producers had originally planned to film in Scotland, where they shot the pilot episode.)

The government agency Northern Ireland Screen has also invested heavily in Northern Ireland's budding film industry, including £14 million (~$22 million) for building new movie studios in Belfast, where the actual RMS Titanic was built and where "Game of Thrones" now films.

The Dark Hedges in Ballymoney — known to fans of the show as Kings Avenue — has become a popular spot for tourists visiting the area. Photo by Christopher McQuillan/Getty Images.

The positive impact of the show extends well beyond the production itself. Just ask the people who live there.

Ingrid Houwers, a professional taxidermist and silversmith, provides furs and animal jewelry for "Game of Thrones."

Her business is booming thanks to the attention and publicity she's gotten as a result of the show. (And because, apparently, "Look! I got my dead cat stuffed by the woman who does taxidermy for 'Game of Thrones'!" is a bragging point for some.)

Ingrid Houwers and her array of pretty dead things. Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images.

Ronan Hill is a sound mixer on "Game of Thrones" and I'm sure you can imagine how the Emmy displayed in his Northern Irish home will make it even easier for him to get jobs in the future. He's also up for another award this year. (The show has 24 total Emmy nominations this year alone.)

The success of artists like Houwers and Hill also affects the tourist industry — and of course, more people visiting Northern Ireland means jobs for people in Northern Ireland. Just look at how the tourism rate in New Zealand has doubled (making it the country's second largest industry) in the 15 years since the first "Lord of the Rings" film was released.

This influx of tourism is a regular economic stimulus for people like William Fells, a sword and archery instructor who plays Jon Snow on tours of Castle Ward, the real-life Winterfell, and for Damian Carr, an actor and sword expert who has appeared as an extra on the hit show.

When Carr first started working at Game of Thrones tours, the tours were only running once a week. But five years later, they're a full-time and fully-booked business.

Audley's Castle, which appears as Robb Stark's camp on the show. Photo by Chris McQuillan/Getty Images.

Northern Ireland isn't the only international filming location for the show, but it's easy to see the positive influence the show has had there.

From Winterfell to Belfast, the production of "Game of Thrones" has helped to enhance the local culture and community, in part by making it so locals can afford to live there and contribute to their own economy. Not to mention that those well-paid random Hollywood jobs can be enough to subsidize a local resident's income during slower seasons.

So while I can't alleviate your concerns about George R.R. Martin killing off your favorite character (again), I can assure you that, at least in Northern Ireland, things behind-the-scenes are looking better than ever.

Just, uh, if you visit, be sure to tip your tour guide.

William Kells interacts with tourists at Castle Ward, also known as Winterfell. Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images.

Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

Keep ReadingShow less
via Google and Freepik

Google's new personal information removal submission page.

In the internet era, the idea of personal privacy is all but a myth. With a few keystrokes just about anyone can get your home address, phone number, email, age and the names of your family members. The fact that this information is readily available puts us all in the dangerous position of being the victim of fraud, stalking and violence.

What makes the situation even worse is that our information was put online without any of our consent.

The good news is that Google just made a big change that gives us all a little more control over our personal information. On April 27, the company announced it will allow anyone to request removals of their personal information from its Search feature.

“Open access to information is a key goal of Search, but so is empowering people with the tools they need to protect themselves and keep their sensitive, personally identifiable information private. That’s why we’re updating our policies to help people take more control of their online presence in Search,” Michelle Chang, Google’s Global Policy Lead for Search, announced on the company’s blog.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

Keep ReadingShow less

Becca Moore and Raul Torres having margaritas.

Becca Moore is a popular TikToker with over 800,000 followers who's known for her funny, laid-back takes on dating. Like any influencer-type she was at the Coachella music and arts festival in Indio, California recently. While she was at Coachella, she was robbed of her phone, rental car keys and wallet.

“I went to Coachella this weekend and I thought this guy was kinda hitting on me but then he just robbed me,” Becca says at the beginning of her three-minute TikTok video with over 3 million views. After the festival, she was left with no ride, money, or means to get in contact with friends and family. She was stranded in the desert.

Becca’s friend’s hotel called her an Uber so she could get to a local store to buy a new phone. The driver she was incredibly lucky to be connected with was a lot more than a guy with a car in a time of need, he was a guardian angel named Raul Torres from Fresno, California, six hours north of Indio.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

44 years ago he became her protector after a terrible act. Today, they've been reunited in love.

Betsy and Irv are finally getting the happy ending they deserve. Together.

It’s pretty safe to say that everyone loves a good love story.

There’s a whole genre of music and movies dedicated to the idea of someone being swept off of their feet after circumstances tried to keep them from their true love. Romance novels could single handedly keep public libraries and bookstores afloat. Everyone loves "love" and the story of Betsy and Irv just takes the cake. Betsy Sailor attended Penn State University as a business major, which was almost unheard of in 1978 and Irv Pankey attended the university while playing football. The pair’s paths never crossed, until an unfortunate incident bonded the two forever.

Keep ReadingShow less
@SopheAlice/TikTok

Best way to travel, really.

As they say, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”

This old adage was brought to life in a whole new way after two friends who thought they booked tickets to Budapest, Hungary, instead found themselves heading to Bucharest, Romania.

Just a minor 500-mile difference, but who’s counting?

TikToker @SophAlice posted a video of the pair realizing their mix-up, which went viral and set them off on an impromptu adventure based entirely on the comments they received.
Keep ReadingShow less