Part 1
—"Before noon, she's your daughter": reference to The Lion King.
—The idea of Shamrock Day is obviously inspired by St. Patrick's Day.
—"And it's no, neigh, never...": lyrics based off of a popular English folk song titled "The Wild Rover." Of course, the original wording was "no, nay, never," but I couldn't resist the pun.
—Lyra's dress was inspired by this comic cover.
—Trotterford, Mareland: play on Waterford, a major port in Ireland.
—Character note: Tootsie Flute is very sociable and friendly, even to complete strangers, and curious about everything.

Part 2
—cèilidh: pronounced "cay-lee." A Scottish or Irish social gathering with folk singing, traditional dancing and storytelling.
—The flag of Mareland is obviously the same as real-life Ireland.
—Character note: Lyra is essentially a child in an adult's body, and takes pride in it.

Part 3
—shillelagh: pronounced "sheh-lay-lah." A traditional Irish stick-fighting weapon, usually consisting of a long stick with a knob on the end. Sometimes a hole was drilled into the knob and filled with metal to give it additional weight. The shillelagh is considered a symbol of Irish people: for instance, the mascot of the Boston Celtics carries one.

Part 4
—"blighter": British insult for someone who is regarded with contempt.
—soda bread: quickbread made using baking soda instead of yeast (no, it's not made with soda). A traditional Irish treat.
—pepperbox revolver: an early type of revolver with several individual rotating barrels, so named because of it's similarity to a pepper grinder.
—Character note: Bon Bon is a little out of shape (too much candy sampling, not enough exercise), a serious flaw that comes up several times in the story.
—A common tactic between spies is to greet each other by using a series of passphrases that could be passed off as regular conversation. This chapter provides two examples.
—"gobdaw": Irish slang, "idiot."
—"gone arseways": "gone wrong."
—"this is another fine mess you've gotten yourself into": reference to comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. Straight-man Hardy's catchphrase was "Here's another fine mess you've gotten me into."

Part 5
—Yellow Ford's name is a reference to the Battle of the Yellow Ford, a key battle in the Nine Years War.
—Word of advice from a criminal justice student: if you are ever in trouble with the police, even if you are completely innocent, the first thing you need to do is ask for a lawyer. You are entitled to representation at all times, and the police legally cannot question you without counsel present.
—Notice that even though the bartender of the Green Bull isn't intimidated by the Guards, he's scared of Phillip: evidence of the reputation Phillip has amongst the Equestrian underworld.
—"be wide": Irish expression, "beware," "be careful."
—"some other wagon to get her hole in": "wagon" is an unattractive woman. "Get his/her hole in" is slang for "have sex."
—Character note: Bon Bon has a very wide vocabulary, and curses like a sailor whenever she's extremely upset or angry.
—"that's a fret": Irish expression of surprise.
—Over hill, over dale...: reference to the song "The Army Goes Rolling Along."
—"donkey's years": Irish slang, "a long time."

Part 6
—Universe notes: Equestria does have organized religion, with monotheistic religions similar to Judaism/Christianity/Unitarian Universalism being the most popular. As I've mentioned in previous stories, the alicorns are not viewed as or worshipped as deities. However, organized religion does not have the same cultural entrenchment in Equestria that it does in our world.
—It took me a while to think of a suitable symbol to use in place of a cross. I eventually selected a dove, as it is known as a symbol of peace and hope.
—Bon Bon is very, very good with children, a trait that she exploits here. She's also good at guessing other ponies favorite flavors as part of her special talent.
—"ossified": Irish slang, "drunk."
—Considering that "wank" is a slang term for masturbate, Phillip's trademark insult is very fitting.

Part 7
—Headcanon note: Bon Bon is kind of a coward and gives up pretty easily, but is still willing to step up if she gets her back up against the wall.
—It took me a while to think of a fighting style that fit Bon Bon, but then I decided on kickboxing since it made sense to me that she might have taken it as a form of exercise at one point.
—Recall back in Siege of Clovenworth that Phillip mentioned that he needed to start carrying pepper spray himself. His homemade version is a lot more potent than the commercially-made pepper spray.
—"ÉIRINN GO BRÁCH!": Irish, "Ireland forever!" Pronounced "ey-rin go brack."
—Music: Congress Reel, a traditional Irish reel or folk dance.
—"Uncle Phil?": Tootsie Flute considers her family friends to be part of her family, assigning them affectionate familial titles. This also emphasizes that Phillip sees his friends as akin to family.
—Whatever Zugzwang needs an army for, it can't be good.
—"Tiocfaidh ár lá": Irish, "our day will come." Pronounced "chuck-hee awr law." The unofficial slogan of the Irish Republican Army, which was a partial inspiration for the Mareish Mob.