What do Daniel O'Donnell, pint baby, iodine tablets, Irish reality television, moral panics around sex, Nadine Coyle's missing passport, housewives of the year, bachelor festivals and the Alive-O religion programme have in common? They all tell the story of Ireland through the pop culture that has shaped us.

Part cultural history, part memoir and part affectionate excavation of the things we bore witness too and experienced, this book explores the television shows, music, scandals, celebrities, fads and media moments that shaped generations of Irish people.

From the rise of Irish reality television and the country's first music video programme MT-USA, to forgotten chart acts, moral panics, tabloid sensations and unlikely national icons, Pop Culchie explores the stories behind the pop culture moments that defined us.

Funny, nostalgic and rigorously researched, Pop Culchie reveals how popular culture has shaped Irish culture and history over the last half-century.

Whether you're nostalgic for the pop culture moments of the past or fascinated by the strange underbelly of Ireland's cultural moments, this is a celebration of Irish popular culture in all its eccentric, hilarious and unforgettable glory.

Páraic Kerrigan is an Irish Times bestselling author, researcher and Assistant Professor at University College Dublin. His expertise in Irish popular culture stems partly from academic study and partly from an unhealthy level of affection for Irish pop music and cult films. He maintains, without irony, that Fade Street and Dublin Wives are key national texts worthy of serious scholarly attention. He also believes that Six's "There a Whole Lot of Loving" is one of the great overlooked achievements of Irish musical history. Following several unsuccessful attempts to become a pop star, he turned to writing books instead. His previous book, Reeling in the Queers, was shortlisted for an Irish Book Award in 2024.