By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-15 20:40:46 | Updated at 2025-03-18 04:08:30
2 days ago
Her Irish eyes are smiling, but it’s her native tongue that has captured New Yorkers’ attention.
Born and raised on a farm in County Cork, Ireland, Vivienne Sayers O’Callaghan moved to Ridgewood, Queens in 2023, and soon began posting videos on her page @vivienne_in_nyc.
Her lessons on Irish language and culture have become as popular as green beer on St. Patrick’s Day, going viral on TikTok.
One of her earliest described the differences between walking down the street in Ireland vs. the Big Apple.
“In Ireland, you’ll make eye contact with the person you’re [passing] and you’ll say hello or nod to them,” O’Callaghan told The Post. “And when I moved to New York, I found it extremely difficult to be able to walk past someone and just continue looking at the floor. I felt so rude.”
Her most-watched post — Gorgeous female names in the Irish language — where she explains the meaning behind monikers like Laoise, Muireann, Róisín and Órlaith, garnered a combined 10 million views over TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
The 23-year-old launched the social media platform after she realized Americans were mostly in the dark about her native land.
“Everyone was like, ‘Oh my God, you’re from Ireland. Let’s talk about the famine and the potatoes,'” she said.
“And I was like, ‘This is not a narrative that I want to continue. I want to tell people about Ireland and the Irish people because we’re one of the most progressive and wealthiest countries in Europe.'”
One of her missions is to teach the Irish language, called Gaeilge, which, she learned, people in the States didn’t even know existed.
“Everyone was like, ‘I’m from Ireland.’ They were 10%, 50%, 90% Irish, and no one was aware of the Irish language,” she explained.
O’Callaghan’s ingenuity — mixed with some luck of the Irish — caused her page to explode, and within six months she had 150,000 followers.
“I just found this niche,” she said. “Then I solidified this amazing base of Irish and Irish-Americans globally, especially on the east coast of the US.”
BABY GIRL NAMESS 💁🏼♀️☘️🤍 Irish names often have deep historical and cultural roots, reflecting Ireland’s rich heritage and mythology. They are known for their unique spellings and enchanting meanings, often derived from Gaelic, the indigenous language of Ireland. Many of these names have been passed down through generations, symbolizing various aspects of nature, folklore, and the island’s history. Here are some beautiful Irish names for baby girls, along with their meanings: 1. **Aoife** (EE-fa) – Meaning “beauty” or “radiance,” this name is associated with a legendary warrior princess in Irish folklore. 2. **Ciara** (KEE-ra) – Means “dark-haired” or “dark,” reflecting a common characteristic in Irish heritage. 3. **Niamh** (NEEV or NEE-av) – Translates to “bright” or “radiant,” a name associated with a figure from Irish mythology who lived in Tír na nÓg, the land of eternal youth. 4. **Saoirse** (SEER-sha) – Meaning “freedom” or “liberty,” this name has gained popularity for its beautiful sound and its representation of the value of freedom. 5. **Aisling** (ASH-ling) – This name means “dream” or “vision” and is linked to a poetic genre in Irish literature that personifies Ireland. 6. **Fionnuala** (fin-NOO-la) – Derived from “fionn,” meaning “fair,” and “guala,” meaning “shoulder.” In legend, Fionnuala was turned into a swan for 900 years. 7. **Orla** (OR-la) – Meaning “golden princess,” this name signifies beauty and royalty. 8. **Eimear** (EE-mer) – Known for embodying the six gifts of womanhood: beauty, voice, speech, needlework, wisdom, and chastity. 9. **Róisín** (ro-SHEEN) – A diminutive form of “róis,” meaning “rose.” It’s a poetic way to name a child after the beauty of a rose. 10. **Caoimhe** (KEE-va or KWEE-va) – Means “gentle,” “beautiful,” or “precious.” These names not only reflect the beauty of the Irish language but also carry with them stories and qualities that many find meaningful and inspiring.
♬ Heirloom – Joshua Kyan AalampourHer popularity online has led to her seeing green, as she now works full-time as an Irish content creator and advocate.
“I now help other people build their online and personal brands, and in particular, I help Irish companies and Irish artists make it in the US,” O’Callaghan said.
She also shares videos with information on interesting things — like the submarine and seasoned potato chip — invented by the Irish and things you didn’t know about St. Patrick’s Day.
☘️🇮🇪 Did you know about all these Irish inventions? 😱🎼 I graduated my Bachelor of Music from the Cork School of Music, Munster Technological University in 2022, and I majored in classical music performance & conducting 🎹 I thought this was the perfect time to share this fun fact I’ve known for years 😄🎵 You might’ve known that the Irish invented the seasoned potato chip, the beaufort scale, radiotherapy, the submarine, the portable defribulator, the targeted missile and the ejector seat, but I bet you didn’t know that Ireland also created a popular classical music genre 🤔 We have done alot!! 💪🏼💪🏼 Who was John Field? John Field (1782-1837) was an Irish composer and pianist, known for his contributions to classical music: The Nocturne! 🎹 A Nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by or evocative of the night. It features a cantabile (singing) melody over an arpeggiated accompaniment. While other composers wrote similar pieces, John Field was the first to call these pieces ‘Nocturnes.’ Field’s Nocturnes influenced many famous composers, including Frédéric Chopin, who popularized the genre (also showed in this video!) The Nocturne remains a beloved genre in classical music, known for its expressive and lyrical qualities 🎤 🎶 #IrishInventions #JohnField #Nocturne #ClassicalMusic #IrishHistory #MusicFacts #IrishCulture #DidYouKnow #IrishPride #Composer #MusicGenre #TikTokEducation #LearnOnTikTok #IrishHeritage #HiddenGems #MusicLovers #ClassicalComposer #IrishComposer #Ireland #MusicHistory #FunFacts #IrishTikTok #ClassicalMusicLovers #MusicalInventions #History #classicalmusic
♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design“His name isn’t Patrick at all. It was Maewyn Succat, because he was a slave brought over from Wales,” she explained of the post, which got 1.7 million combined views on Instagram and TikTok.
She’s even posted about how to say f–k off in Irish.
“You need to make it practical, of course,” she said, laughing.
“And what I love telling people is that we don’t exactly have a way to say ‘f–k off’ because the Irish language is so old, we more have curses upon people — like, ‘May the devil make a ladder out of your spine.'”
O’Callaghan first moved to New York City through the prestigious Mountbatten Program, which earned her a J-1 visa, allowing her to take an internship at the financial research company Moody’s at the World Trade Center.
The city is also where she met her boyfriend — who is from Northport and is an NYPD cop “like every Irish Long Island guy,” she joked.
Touched by the messages she said she receives from her loyal followers, O’Callaghan even gets recognized by fans who aren’t Irish.
“A man walked up to me and he said, ‘I’m from North Carolina. I have no Irish heritage whatsoever,” she explained. “But I love your content and I’m learning Irish.'”
