Irish Language Lesson #2

Imagine, if you will, a small college campus in the United States. Perhaps this college is in the south-west, perhaps, dare I say, even in southern California. Now, imagine yourself as a student at said college, conversing with another student regarding his TNC activities the previous Thursday.

"How was the party?" You might say.

"The party?" he replies, "Oh, it was great. There was really great crack."

Freeze frame. Now, at the aforementioned college campus in the US, your reaction to the above statement would probably be one of shock and, quite possibly, disgust. Who knew that this gent, who you've no doubt known for a bit and possibly even taken classes with was a coke-head all along? Shocking, shocking... Kids these days, and all that. And who knew that pure crack-cocaine was a TNC staple? Some of us had our suspicions, but I digress...

But, to the point. In Ireland, you'll hear the word "crack" a lot. Or, rather, you'll hear a word that sounds exactly like "crack." This word is actually an Irish word: "craic." And if there's one thing the Irish know about, it's craic. The specific dictionary definition of the term is rather elusive; Wikipedia describes it as "fun, enjoyment, abandonment, or lighthearted mischief; often in the context of drinking or music" (for more, see here). Basically, craic is fun; it's the good time that the Irish have had after a night of drinking, dancing, clubbing, talking, going to a coffee house, or any other fun sort of social activity.

So, being such a large part of Irish life, craic comes up often in conversation. In fact, one common Irish greeting is "How's the craic?" Needless to say, if an Irishman ever confronts you with this greeting, don't be fooled. Unless he's Jack Nicholson's character from The Departed, he's probably not asking you about the quality of the crack-cocaine in your neighborhood. A suitable response might be, "Great, how are you?" or something similar.

Other common uses of the word craic obviously concern pubs, clubs, or other hang outs. To say that a place has "great craic" is an excellent compliment. We Americans here are still a little self-conscious about using the term, however; you know how it is.... We don't want to look like stupid Americans trying to fit in. It'll come, though, it'll come.

But, I see no reason not to use the term in my blog communications, so good night, and here's hoping that you all have a good bit of craic tonight and for the rest of the week!