YOU CAN BANISH the midweek blues today by getting some fish and chips for dinner tonight- and what’s even better is that they are going for half price.

The Irish Traditional Italian Chippers Association (ITICA) members will be offering their customers half price fish and chips throughout the day as part of National Fish and Chip Day.

Irish people have had a long love-affair with the Italian chipper takeaway ever since Italians from a small Italian village in Val Di Comino arrived in Ireland and opened the first local chipper in the 1880s. There has even been a documentary made about the well-established community here in Ireland aptly named “Chippers“.

The families from Southern Italy all bore the names that are well-known at the local chip shops today. The legacy of those Italians has made the local chipper a staple in almost every town in Ireland.

Speaking to The Journal ITICA Chairman Peter Borza said that more than 200 Irish traditional Italian chippers around the country were taking part and that they were looking forward to a very busy but fun filled day.

He added that the tradition of chippers in Ireland goes back “a long long time” adding that the National Fish and Chip Day aimed to commemorate the long history.

“This day gives us the opportunity to thank our customers for their support and it’s a pretty hectic day. We started the campaign in 2010 and every year it has just been getting bigger and bigger”.

Ireland’s first fish and chip shop – opened by Giuseppe Cervi in Great Brunswick Street. (Photo courtesy of ITICA)