I blame myself. I neglected to tell Marcus about the most important, and likely the most frequently used, word in the Irish language. Craic.

So we were walking in downtown Dublin, and Marcus stopped to talk to a man walking a dog wearing a Garda (police) canine vest. As most Irish are wont to do, he asked how long we were in Ireland. 

“Tree months, is it? Now, why would you be staying here for tree months den?”

“For the weather,” Marcus replied, to which he received a hearty laugh.

“No, it can’t be for the weather,” the man chuckled, looking up at the rain-saturated clouds. “I’m sure you’re here for the craic.” [pronounced crack].

Marcus looked taken aback. “Oh, no, I’m not into that!” he declared.

The man looked at him oddly and said, “Well, good day to you den,” and walked off with his dog.

I couldn’t hold it in any longer. As soon as the man left, I burst out laughing. “Do you know what craic means?” I asked.

“Are we talking about drugs?” he asked.

“No. C-r-a-i-c, pronounced crack, is Irish for ‘fun.’”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Marcus speechless before.