September 23, 2021 - The Gordon Ramsay Croatia episode aired in Croatia on Sunday, and while it was mostly applauded, one Twitter user pointed out a mistake no Croatian (and especially Dalmatian) dare make. The Irish and British embassies even got involved! 

American writer and professor living in Croatia Cody McClain Brown set Twitter on fire after he jokingly criticized Gordon Ramsay for calling the Adriatic 'water', a word no Croatian should ever use to describe the Adriatic Sea. 

"Gordon Ramsay referred to the Adriatic as "the water" and we almost had to change the channel," Cody wrote on Twitter. 

"Typical continental slip", "If it's water - drink it" and "Without any respect", were just some of the comments on Cody's tweet.

It didn't take long for the Irish and British embassies in Croatia to get involved.

"Cody, we'll point this out to our friends at the. UK Embassy. They'll talk to Mr. Ramsay and help to repair bilateral relations ASAP!!" wrote the Irish Embassy in Croatia, and the British Embassy added: "Urgent action required indeed! Proper briefing prepared for Mr Ramsay - with the hashtag #MORE.

Cody responded to the tweets and said that "he didn't consider it controversial":

"I wasn't really the one that took issue, but thanks all the same. I enjoy his programs and can continue to watch them "bez problema."

The UK Embassy replied: "No questions asked. Even if it was punica! #morenijevoda"

The Gordon Ramsay Uncharted episode on Croatia was shown on National Geographic on September 19. Gordon Ramsay spent some time in Istria and praised Croatian truffles and olive oil, which he considers better than Spanish and Italian.

"Everyone told me that Croatia is like Italy, but when I was there, I didn't have to fish on a boat a little bigger than a bathtub," Ramsay joked in the episode.

Ramsay's guide through Istria was famous Croatian chef David Skoko, who also took Ramsay fishing. He showed him how to hunt conger eels in Istria, and Skoko's son Anton taught Ramsay Croatian. The famous chef was led by Višnja Prodan to hunt truffles.

Ramsay was in Croatia in the summer of 2020, and the show filmed in Istria was shown as part of a day dedicated to Croatia on National Geographic.

For more, follow our lifestyle section.

August the 16th, 2021 - Irish Ambassador Ruaidhri Mark Dowling has discussed how Croatia and Ireland might learn from one another, and how economic cooperation between the two countries could be further developed.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Irish Ambassador Ruaidhri Mark Dowling also discussed the possibilities of improving economic cooperation between the two EU member states and why Croats often choose Ireland as the country of their dreams.

Is it easy to find a job in Ireland?

People tend to find work in the tourism and IT sector and these seem to be the main sectors in which they currently work. These are the two sectors that have great growth and the greatest opportunities! Ireland has been doing economically well over recent years and there has been work to be had, although COVID-19 has had a dramatic negative impact on parts of the Irish economy, which has also affected employment opportunities.

How do you see the economic cooperation between Croatia and Ireland?

Economic cooperation between Croatia and Ireland isn't enormous and I would like it to develop more. Ireland and Croatia are small, open economies that must trade with their neighbours if they're to be economically successful.

In areas such as the green transition and digitalisation, Ireland and Croatia can learn a lot from each other. Croats who have returned from Ireland with useful contacts, experience and ideas have great potential for building yet more economic ties.

On top of that, Croatia could act as a base for Irish companies that want to enter the Balkan region, there are many opportunities for research.

How much has the global coronavirus pandemic affected the Irish economy?

Much like it is in Croatia, many sectors of the Irish economy have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, especially the hospitality sector. For example, the number of tourists decreased from approximately 18.5 million back in 2019 to just 4.5 million in 2020.

How much do the Irish know about Croatia? Could the number of tourist arrivals from Ireland be higher?

I think they're getting to know Croatia more and more. Many have visited Croatia in recent years and some have come here to live or know some Croats living in Ireland. Back in 2019, 111 thousand Irish tourists visited Croatia, which is 32 percent more than in 2018. I have no doubt that if the COVID-19 pandemic hadn't occurred, these numbers would have continued to increase.

We're now hearing about a number of Irish visitors and it will be interesting to see the final figures. The small Irish community in the Republic of Croatia and the Croatian community in Ireland are also very active in this.

For more, follow our politics section.