Brazil letter/Tom Hennigan:Ireland made its debut in the Brazilian soap opera universe on Monday night, raising the question "What's the Portuguese for Oirish?"
A witches' coven, crazed old hags, the Celtic god Dagda and kids dressed up as what looked like leprechauns celebrating Halloween all featured in the first episode of the new Rede Globo soap Eterna Magia (Eternal Magic).
But none of this Paddywhackery was taking place on the Emerald Isle itself.
Scenes set in 1930s Dublin were by Brazilian soap standards models of sophistication and historical accuracy, using the city's Georgian architecture to good effect (though I'm not sure that bewigged footmen in full livery were much in evidence in Dev's Ireland).
The craic, so to speak, was all taking place in the fictitious Brazilian town of Serranias. Located in the state of Minas Gerais, this settlement was founded in the 17th century by Irish refugees fleeing the English occupation of their homeland.
Viewers know this because Dagda, played by bestselling new-age author Paulo Coelho, tells them so at the beginning of proceedings.
They also hear the story of Valentina O'Connan, who arrived with the first settlers as a young girl bearing the "mark of magic", which her descendants still carry today. It is Valentina who gives the town its reputation for witchiness.
Serranias even has a witches' museum, where guides relate for tourists tales of 17th century witch-burnings undertaken by the Portuguese crown upon encountering the Irish.
The family at the centre of the soap are the Sullivans, who toast each other with sláinte but make a bit of a mess of Céad Míle Fáilte - which comes out sounding a bit more like Kate Miller Filta.
Father Max originally comes from Dublin, but on a visit to Brazil realised that as well as being home to witches and leprechauns the hills of Serranias are also full of diamonds - in which he goes on to make his fortune.
His eldest daughter, the haughty Eva, has been 10 years in Dublin building her career as a concert pianist when we join the action. Her little sister, Nina, is back in Brazil determined to marry the poor but handsome Conrado O'Neill.
Because Globo does not stand on ceremony when it comes to getting its plots up and running in the first hour we see Conrado survive a plane crash, Nina outed to viewers as one of the town's witches (her pagan name is Brigid), and Eva cruelly reject an offer of marriage from some poor sap called Peter, an Irish medical student with a flawless command of Portuguese who has been foolish enough to make his play for her hand in front of his family, friends and a céilí band. Viewers also see Max suffer a heart attack during an argument with Conrado over his wish to marry Nina/Brigid - but not before learning that Conrado was, and probably still is, in love with Eva, who broke his heart years ago and who, as the first cliffhanger, announces her intention to go back to Serranias on hearing of her father's illness.
These and other secondary plots which also started rolling on Monday night will be played out six nights a week over the coming months.
Eterna Magia might sounds ridiculous to Irish ears but it fits neatly into Globo's pattern of soap entertainment, with Brazilian viewers regularly served up equally corny versions of their own history as entertainment.
Many, if not most, Brazilians are suckers for the supernatural, whether homegrown or imported.
In recent years Globo has marked out its 6pm slot - Eterna Magia's - as a kind of supernatural soap hour.
Magia takes over the slot from O Profeta (The Prophet) and Globo recently had a huge smash with Alma Gêmea (Soul Mates), in which the soul of a young wife and mother who died tragically was reincarnated as a Brazilian Indian who spent months fighting to get back with her grief-stricken husband - which she did just in time before both died in the finale.
Globo are aiming for a similar success with Eterna Magia and have thrown considerable resources at it - casting stars more usually associated with its prime time 8pm soaps and splashing out for several weeks recording in Dublin.