A chara, – I remember the change of spelling, from “crack” to “craic” when writing in English. It was in the 1990s so that American tourists, seeing it on blackboards outside pubs, would not confuse it with the new drug, crack cocaine. It was, though, surprising to see established writers going along with it. Not all of them though. Donald Clarke has called it a linguistic lie.
Fintan Vallely has said that during his time as Irish Times traditional music correspondent (1994-2000) it was coming in and he had to make a note to subeditors that in his text it was to be left as "crack".
And Diarmuid Ó Muirithe never forgave The Irish Times for its part in the dodgy Gaelicisation of crack – "a good old English/Scottish word" – as "craic".
It would be a fitting tribute from the paper he contributed so richly to for 22 years to belatedly concede to drop it.
– Is mise,
EILIS NÍ ANLUAIN
An Pháirc Thiar,
Bré.
Sir, Frank Fitzpatrick (Letters, August 20th) suggests that the word craic is of Ulster Scots origin. Dineen's dictionary (1927) gives the word "cracaire" as a jester, a talker. The Scottish Chamber's Twentieth Century Dictionary (1901) gives the word crack as a friendly chat. – Yours, etc,
ETHNA VINEY
Louisburgh,
Co Mayo.