QVC is a 24-hour satellite shopping channel widely available on cable TV in the US. A potential audience of 65 million people can tune in to a channel that lovingly plugs a litany of products to order by phone.
The smart sellers at QVC ran a "Made in Ireland" themed selection of goods for 26 hours from 10 p.m. on Tuesday the 16th through St Patrick's Day - and sold $10 million worth. What type of a thing constitutes an Irish buy, so? The QVC website listed the merchandise - eight pages of it. Thinking Belleek? Go right to the top of the range with a beautiful "Kathleen" dancing doll, which will set you back $209.50.
What about a lovely "hand sculpted blarney stone glass paperweight"? Very Irish, and quite a bit more affordable at $28.50. A bit of Guinness would look good on the sitting-room shelves, and for $21.50 you could save yourself the bother of cramming dripping pint glasses into your jacket at the end of the night and get the full set of four.
What about a Waterford Crystal Rock of Cashel vase? What's $325 for pure class? There's a range of Claddagh jewellery in gold and emerald, or maybe you'd rather the 14K gold shamrock ring.
There's also any amount of fetching, typical Irish gear to choose from, the central theme being the Aran stitch. Interestingly, you can buy "unisex" Aran sweaters - perhaps the gender-specific versions are available only in more select shops.
And there is quite a range of handy little items: a traditional Irish blackthorn walking stick - traditionally seen on Oirish pub walls in places like Bhutan - or maybe a heraldic-scroll-of-Ireland jigsaw puzzle. Again, very traditional. But your "must" this year has to be the Connemara marble rosary beads, a steal at $26.
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