A Taste of Irish Culture
by Eugenie Houston

As well as the more lotfy persuits of literature and theatre, much craic in Ireland is derived from humour. Most Irish people thoroughly enjoy a good laugh and rate wit and humour as important. This is one of those things that does not always travel well. The problem may not lie in making understood the humour of where you are coming from, but trying to establish an understanding of the Irish humour. Irish people are known for their quick-witted one-liners, and it would be a mistake to interpret these as an attempt to put you down. It is more a case of sending each other up. The rise of the comedy club and the emergence of truly funny Irish comedians on the international circuit provide ample evidence of how seriously Irish people take their humour. Some well-known and irreverent examples are Dylan Moran and Tommy Tiernan and the infamous Graham Norton of Channel 4 fame. To gain an insight into Irish humour listen to the incorrigible ‘Navan Man’ and ‘The Drunken Politican’ on Today FM's Last Word and watch out for the ‘Bull Island’ team on RTE television.

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