Our story

Shuppy started back in 2020, though it looked very different then. The idea was a marketplace showcasing some of Ireland’s emerging indigenous businesses , a place where Irish people, wherever they were in the world, could support Irish makers when it came to gift-giving. I wanted to take it a step further, too: you could choose businesses local to wherever you were from.

Being honest, the undertaking was far greater than I ever imagined, and I completely underestimated what it involved on my side. It lasted about 18 months. I could spend hours talking about where it went wrong, but we’re far better off talking about what came next. And for all its problems, it was genuinely good fun at times, working alongside so many brilliant Irish businesses and the people behind them.

Shuppy, reborn

The ethos hasn’t really changed: give people thoughtful gifts, and support local businesses while you’re at it. But something else has shifted for me over the years.

The older I get, the more I’ve come to feel that the gift of time is the most precious thing of all. So many of the people I know would far rather spend proper time with someone than receive yet another item they didn’t need in the first place. I’m not saying we should stop giving gifts — not at all. It’s more that people should get to choose what they’d actually like or need, rather than it being a guessing game.

Life is stressful enough for many people as it is so why not strip out some of the unnecessary stress?

I know Shuppy won’t be for everyone. Plenty of people don’t see how ludicrous mass consumerism has become, and that’s absolutely fine, it’s the people who do relate to the idea who’ll appreciate it. And who knows: some of those who aren’t sure today might come around down the line. Either way, nobody loses. That’s my take, anyhow.

So what is Shuppy?

Shuppy is a gift wish list that keeps the good parts of giving and takes out the guesswork. You add the things you’d genuinely love — from any store, or things money can’t buy at all — and share one link. Friends and family reserve gifts without needing an account, items get quietly marked as taken so nobody doubles up, and who’s giving what stays a secret until the big day. If a few people want to club together towards something bigger and better made, they can pledge towards it – one quality thing that gets used beats five fillers that don’t.

And because the best gifts often aren’t things at all, every Shuppy list makes room for what actually matters: an hour of help, a proper catch-up over coffee, a recipe taught in person, or a donation to someone who needs it more. Those are often the gifts people remember longest.

The name

The name comes from siopaí, the Irish word for shops — a small nod to where all of this began. Alongside the app, we publish hand-picked Irish gift guides featuring makers and producers we’d genuinely use ourselves, leaning towards independent, thoughtful and lasting. Because if something’s worth giving, it’s worth it lasting.

Let’s stop the waste, and start putting genuine smiles on people’s faces.

Shuppy brings you closer.