Uncle O’Grimacey, the McDonald’s character who was previously rumored to have been in the Irish Republican Army (IRA), is making a comeback this month.
Yes, McDonald's USA announced on Tuesday, February 4 that Uncle O'Grimacey, who debuted in the 1970s, has "packed his bags and embarked on a journey from Sham Rock, Ireland" to spread "Shamrock cheer" with fans everywhere in the US.
Uncle O'Grimacey is back. (McDonald's USA)
The Uncle O'Grimacey comeback is part of McDonald's USA's campaign marking the 50th anniversary of its Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).
For every Shamrock Shake purchased at participating McDonald's from February 10 to March 23, 25 cents will be donated to RMHC with a goal of raising $5 million, which could provide 50,000 overnight stays for families staying at RMHC programs.
That's not all - Uncle O'Grimacey now has his own line of merch, including sweatshirts, tees, caps, and pins, which is now available for pre-sale at GoldenArchesUnlimited.com.
Of the Uncle O'Grimacey swag, McDonald's USA said: "In the spirit of this campaign, McDonald's will make an additional donation to RMHC."
Also on board for the campaign is Ancestry, who helped McDonald's longstanding purple mascot Grimace reunite with his long-lost Irish Uncle O'Grimacey:
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Uncle O'Grimacey's strange journey from Shamrock Shakes to the IRA
Uncle O'Grimacey is a googly-eyed green character dreamed up by McDonald's back in the 1970s to help sell - you guessed it - Shamrock Shakes.
Some 20 years later, the US-based satirical publication The Onion made the - satirical - link between Uncle O'Grimacey and the IRA in its 1997 article "Sinn Fein Leaders Demand Year-Round Shamrock Shake Availability."
From The Archives: Sinn Fein Leaders Demand Year-Round Shamrock Shake Availability https://t.co/eabAbsQRb9 pic.twitter.com/a8P9P85rqb
— The Onion (@TheOnion) March 18, 2022
Uncle O'Grimacey managed to lay low for two more decades before he - and his IRA link - popped up in a 2017 article on PhillyVoice by Bryan Bierman.
"Although the character appeared in television commercials for a few years in the ‘70s and early ‘80s, Uncle O’Grimacey was let go shortly after because of his controversial ties to the IRA," Bierman wrote in his article about Shamrock Shakes.
Bierman's claim was later cited - and wildly embellished upon - in a 2021 piece on Odd Athenaeum. Screenshots of the article went on to circulate on social media, swiftly bringing Uncle O'Grimacey into the 2020s realm of Internet meme culture.
oh my god pic.twitter.com/0UtJUcjCDC
— hingo🫡 (@hingo) March 18, 2022
Last March, IrishCentral tracked down Bierman to ask him if he had proof that Uncle O'Grimacey had IRA ties or if it was just a joke.
"NO IT IS NOT TRUE," Bierman quickly replied with a cry-laughing emoji.
"I have been trying to clear Uncle O'Grimacey's name for some time," he added.
Indeed, Bierman shared with IrishCentral a video he recorded in March 2023 in hopes of clarifying the situation. In his video, he explains that he received a notification that his 2017 article was referenced in a March 2023 article posted on Boing Boing.
(As it happens, the Boing Boing piece was a step ahead of IrishCentral, making the connection between The Onion, Bierman's piece in PhillyVoice, and the 2021 Odd Athenaeum article.)
Bierman admitted in his video that he "100% made up" his 2017 line about Uncle O'Grimacey and the IRA, but that the Odd Athenaeum article "added more bulls--t." He also said he hadn't seen the 1997 satirical article from The Onion.
"It's weird that people added more information to it, which I guess is how fake news and this bulls--t starts," Bierman said, apologizing.
Bierman further told IrishCentral: "The article it was from was a goofy junk food review series I used to do and I just made that joke thinking it would be clearly a joke but I guess it wasn't that funny because it has spread over time.
"It's probably the most impactful thing I've ever written and I didn't even mean to!"
He continued: "What I guess happened was another website added more fake details to the story which made it spread.
"It's insane, when you search Uncle O'Grimacey on Google the next thing that comes up is IRA.
“I feel bad for what I've done.
"I have left comments on articles about it before but maybe they think I'm just a nut."
Bierman added: "Thank you for helping Uncle O'Grimacey, he didn't deserve that."
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