This Irish virus is an email hoax that generates a false alarm by reporting that there is a virus called Irish virus. This email hoax will try to get users to delete files from their hard drive. The Irish virus hoax provides false data to confuse users and get them to spread the word by forwarding the message to everyone in their address book.

The Irish Virus email hoax has the following characteristics;

Subject: It is variable, and occasionally blank.

Message:
Greetings,
You have just received the "IRISH VIRUS".
As we don't have any programming experience, this Virus works on the honour system.
Please delete all the files on your hard drive manually and forward this Virus to everyone on your mailing list.
Thank you for your cooperation.

Attachments: It does not contain any attachments.

While this Hoax is said not to be in circulation anymore, it is still wise to be cautious of any Virus Warning, especially if it is trying to get you to delete files from your hard drive. As a general rule, do not believe any messages that warn of a new virus that no antivirus program detects and never delete files from your hard drive. Check with an antivirus software manufacturer or other widely-respected IT security institutions to verify the information. Do not forward the message.

If you received this hoax, or one like it, and have already deleted files from your hard drive, you will be able to recover them by means of the Restore option in the Recycle bin, so long as you did not delete the files permanently. If the files you deleted cannot be recovered from the Recycle bin, copy them from another computer with the same Windows version. The first two options may not work or be available, in which case you may need to use your Windows installation CD to do an SFC (System File Checker), repair install, or even a complete reinstallation of Windows.