The big thing you'd miss this year is the craic. I used to live abroad and would try and explain the idea of ‘craic’ to some of the foreigners that I'd meet. "Having the craic is kind of like a social activity," I'd say. "It's about having a good time with friends." Yet, these descriptions never quite fully captured what I found so special about this word. This year, it has been the absence of craic that has helped me to realise what is so special about it, and this has given me something to work towards in the year ahead.