Travelling Ireland: Pub Culture

One of the many things associated with Ireland, next to leprechauns, green fields and rowdiness is the stereotype that all Irish people are seasoned drinkers. When people think of Irish people, they generally picture us as red-headed, uncomprehendable, drunk messes. I'm not saying that's wrong now,

but for us Irish people, the pub culture is a quite important staple in our traditions and I suppose, what we try to do for visitors, is welcome them to the warm and friendly pub culture environment and show them it's not what the stereotype says!
Traditionally, there were three main havens for Irish people in both urban and rural centres. The Church, the football pitch and the pub. The pub generally coming after the first two. After mass or after a match at the football pitch, it was just second nature to go for a pint or two in the pub (Sprite for the kids, of course). The pub was the focal point of the community and is basically where the term "craic" comes from. Because after feeding some people one too many pints, a sing-song would break out, rounds would be ordered and even after the official closing hours of the pub, people enjoyed their time in the pub and kept having "mighty craic altogether!". 
It's easy to see that internationally, the warmth and friendliness of Irish hospitality in terms of public houses has spread worldwide with a majority of worldwide cities having at least one Irish pub. You will see, wherever an Irish person goes for a holiday, one of the first things they will look for is an Irish pub. Although it's easy to describe what pub culture is like, it's also going without saying that the whole consumption of alcohol and all of that has to be sensibly and not to overdo it. But again, Irish drinking culture is an important social factor to us Irishmen.

Below are some tips and info on how to fit in to the Irish Pub Culture:

• Guinness: If it is your first time or if you are coming back to visit Ireland, trying an Irish poured Guinness is a must. Barack Obama did it! However, to get the perfect pint, you may be waiting a good 3 or 4 minutes to pour and then leave to settle before drinking it! Fair warning, don't judge Guinness off the first taste, it takes at least 2 to be having good craic! If you find yourself in Dublin, a trip to the Guinness storehouse is almost an unwritten rule!
• Irish Whiskey: Not a big fan of Whiskey myself (Too many stories behind that...) but when coming to Ireland, trying our two most famous whiskeys;
  
  Jameson and Bushmills. Jameson is popular internationally too but to say you've had it on Irish soil is grounds for a nice story to tell!
• Cider: If you're not a stout or lager person, try a Bulmers! It's a nice cider that is quite popular here in Ireland.
• Singing: If a sing-song breaks out and you're visiting the pub. I guess my only bit of advice is to not sit awkwardly because people seem to sense that and then target you to dance with them, so just smile and sway to the music!
• Tipping: Here in Ireland, tipping the barperson isn't mandatory. It's certainly an appreciated gesture but don't feel bad if you don't tip, it's not unusual. 
• Rounds: A big social aspect of being with a group in the pub is ordering rounds. It's an unsaid rule that each person in the group buys a round of drinks for the others in the bar. However, if it's your round but don't feel like drinking anymore, ask to buy on someone else's round. Leaving when it's your turn to buy may come across as rude to Irish people.
• Embrace it: The biggest tip I can give if you are travelling Ireland and want to experience the pub culture is to see it at it's glory. Go on a Sunday
  
  afternoon to see a gaelic football or hurling match. Chat to the barman. Chat to someone at the bar, they'll tell you stories and if you're chatting for a while, they may start making fun of you, but all in jest! It's common to do it over here, so be prepared!

*Pic Credit: politico.com, besthesda365.com, euvs.com, drinkstuff.com*

-
Hope this gave you insight into a bit of Irish culture! You just have to come and try it for yourselves!
-
Read, Comment, Share and Enjoy! 
Leave A Comment Below if you have requests for blogposts or have feedback!