For the unprepared visitor Irish conversation can be a minefield.



'How's the craic?' is not an assumption that you are well versed in the properties of narcotic substances, merely an enquiry after your health and general well-being.



A seemingly easy question like 'You're not from around here are ye?' requires a far more detailed reply that 'No, I'm not'. In order not to be thought rude you should supply details of where you live, why you are in Ireland, the tiny village, now deserted, from which your great-great grandfather emigrated in the year dot, and, to be really accepted, your salary figure, marital status and daily eating habits.