Despite championship success in many other circumstances, and according to a variety of other measures, Conor McGregor lost his first professional boxing match – via technical knockout. He stopped defending himself, so the ref stopped the fight. After he’d re-gathered his wits, he was asked about the fight. And in his response lies a main subject of this post: The Craic!
I’ll get to what he said, exactly, in just a moment – but first, I want to explain this craic business. Y’see – craic is a big deal in Ireland. It is the pulse of the country. It is the portrait of its youth. It is the pursuit of its people all across the globe. It is the panorama of all view-sheds. It is the promise of the future. It is in each particle of the soul of every Irish lad and lass alive!
In a word, well, two actually, it is – The Craic!
“Craic” is, of origin, an English word, and it’s pronounced “crack.” An encyclopedia definition of it is a term for fun, for good conversation, for entertainment, for gossip, and news, and any enjoyable or engaging conversation. Understandably perhaps, after a weekend – the first question on the minds of young Irish lads and lasses is, “How was the craic!?!” (emphasis added).
Yes, we will be making our way back to Mr. Conor McGregor and his boxing fight, but first we need to understand the variations of craic that are available – or, perhaps more precisely – are commonly experienced. So – there are six (6) kinds or levels of craic.
First, there is Good craic. Good craic is the base level of fun. A fairly ok night out, sure fun, but nothing too crazy or amazing. A common question from the barkeep when a person orders a pint is, “Are ya findin’ any good craic, yeah?” Are you having a good time? Is everything ok?
Next, we have Mighty craic. Mighty craic is better than good craic, although not quite to the highest level of craic, – still, someone did some crazy stuff, maybe. Oh, yeah – the craic was mighty!!!
Next is Savage craic! Everyone on top form – great night all together. Pints a-flowin, great jokes! Very interesting discourse – did you hear about…?. Almost makin’ it to the highest level of craic…
But first we have the next level, which is Deadly Craic! Deadly craic is a step above savage craic, but not quite at the pinnacle…
At the top – the Everest moment – it is there that, The Craic was Ninety!!! This is the nirvana of craic, everything was amazing, all the pints were great. The Craic was Ninety!
It is generally unclear how The Craic was Ninety came to refer to the nirvana of all craic – but, it does. Perhaps the famous Christy Moore song had something to do with it – and the title of that song…”The Craic was Ninety in the Isle of Man” – so, yeah, maybe. Probably.
But – that’s only five!! I know. I know. Hang on. One more.
Lastly, there is Minus craic. Oi!! Yeah – this is when the night goes wrong and you would have had more fun almost anywhere else. Dull. Boring conversation. Not a big, fun time.
Ahhh! So we think that’s it right? About Conor McGregor. He was having the minus craic?
Nope.
What he actually said was that “It was Good Craic.”
Can you believe it? He lost, but he had fun.
Sports and recreation teach us that, don’t they…?
So now here’s the thing – what we see is…and what we are reminded of is, that…
Happiness is not a destination. It is a manner of traveling. And…
Life is not about getting where you’re going – but rather, it’s about the journey. And,
Life is either a daring adventure – or nothing at all. So,
To travel is – better than to arrive.
And here’s me wishin’ The Craic Was Ninety for y’all!! Cheers!
Source: Irish Central (June 2, 2017). Irish Craic explained – the top six levels of craic you can reach. Retrieved August 31, 2017 from: https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/craic/irish-craic-explained-the-top-six-levels-of-craic-you-can-reach
By Dr. Rodney J. Blackman
Dr. Rodney J. Blackman is the Chair of Recreation Management at the United States Sports Academy, and can be reached at rblackman@ussa.edu.