What it means
Craic means the fun, banter, and general buzz of a night out, or the chat and gossip that comes with it. If something was good craic, it was lively and worth showing up for. You can even rate a person as great craic, meaning they’re brilliant company. Also pops up in What’s the craic? as a casual what’s happening. No craic means a dead atmosphere.
Usage examples
"What’s the craic tonight? Liam’s bringing the tunes and Aoife’s pure gas, so the pub’ll be mighty, sure we’ll have a grand time."
"The session in the back room was mighty craic, fiddles going, pints flowing, and nobody noticed it was three in the morning."
Where it comes from
Funnily enough it started as the English word crack, meaning lively talk and fun, then crossed to Ireland where it picked up the Gaelic spelling craic and a whole new life. By the late twentieth century it came back into wider English looking proudly Irish. The journey of the word is almost as good as the craic itself.
Other ways to say it
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