What it means
Craic is the social spark of the whole thing: the chat, the laughs, the gossip, the messing, the buzz in the room. If something was good craic, it was lively and worth showing up for. If someone's great craic, they're good company. What's the craic? means what's going on, and no craic means the vibe's gone a bit dead.
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."
"Ah stop, last night was unreal craic, we only meant to stay for one pint and ended up yapping till closing."
"There was no craic in that place at all, dead music, dead crowd, everyone looking like they were forced out."
"We weren't even meant to stay out, but the place was savage craic and we got carried away."
Where it comes from
Craic comes from the older English and Scots word crack, which meant chat, news, and lively talk. In Ireland, that sense stuck and blended into Hiberno-English, then the Irish spelling craic took hold in the 20th century. From there it became one of the best-known Irish words for fun, banter, and good company.
