A Facebook spokesperson released the following statement about the launch: “The way people share today is different to five or even two years ago — it's much more visual, with more photos and videos than ever before. We want to make it fast and fun for people to share creative and expressive photos and videos with whoever they want, whenever they want. We’ve been testing a new camera and the new Direct feature in Ireland since last fall, and Stories is another example of how we’re helping people share the way they want to.” Now, when users in Ireland open their Facebook apps, they'll see a bar along the top of their newsfeeds showing other peoples' Stories, in exactly the same way that Stories appear within Instagram. Photos and videos that are taken, will, in similar fashion, disappear after 24 hours. You'll also be able to reply to friends' Stories.