What’s the Craic? Humour and negotiations during the Northern Ireland peace process

Sarcastic remarks and hilarious gestures were evident throughout the Northern Ireland peace process. However, was there anything behind this? Why were these humourous remarks being made? What role did humour have in communicating throughout the Northern Ireland peace process? This article argues that humour played a role in the Northern Ireland peace process in four primary ways, in (i) initiating contacts and meetings, (ii) developing relationships and confidence building, (iii) demonstrating solidarity and defusing situations, and (iv) expressing frustrations and objections. Furthermore, in the post-conflict context humour has been utilised when reflecting on the Northern Ireland peace process.