Irish dirt to fill nostalgia

Irish descendants in the United States waxing nostalgic about Erin can now do so over a 12-ounce bag of Irish dirt.

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The soil, available at a "dirt cheap" price of about $15, is the brainchild of Ireland's Pat Burke and Alan Jenkins, who have already shipped their first load, worth about $1 million, reports Sky News.

Burke and Jenkins say their market is mainly among about 40 million American Irish descendants, who want a handful of the mother country scattered over their graves. The firm has pledged to donate 80 per cent of profits to charities in Ireland and the United States.

"The demand has been absolutely phenomenal," said Burke, an agricultural scientist from County Tipperary. "We knew it would take off but not in our wildest dreams did we expect the reaction we've had so far."