The Pubs in Ireland

      We visited many many pubs in various sized cities, towns, villages, and thatched-roof tiny outposts.

They ALL (with NO exceptions) had at least one or more pubs. The pub is, of course, a drinking hole (and sometimes eating hole) serving somewhat the same purposes as bars here and elsewhere.

BUT after only a few visits, it is apparent that the quality of the experiences are vastly different. Since my purpose is to describe the psycho-social character of IRISH pubs, I will describe only those peculiar to the Irish pub.First, the sizeof a typical pub is small. It doesnt take more than a dozen or so to fill these places.Some have a second room, equally as small.This makes them feel cozy, warm, and snug. Some have, inside the pub, an enclosed table with a door to enter and leave These are called SNUGS.Next,there is the age of many, if not most, Irish pubs...we are talking OLD. the oldest (The Brazen Head in Dublin) began in 1198. others are from the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. The Irish people seem to value the traditions inherent in these old places, the father/son/grandson/greatgrandson ownership line, the traditions in each place, from the nature of the patrons, e.g., writers, politicians, musicians, young, middle age, old, etc, to which beers are served on  tap (next post).to what food is served, to what music is played there. This adherence to such unspoken "rules" of attendance means that soon after you enter any pub, the vibe is clear: students, retired guys, Polish people, Italians,International ( a little of everything). My kids met a Swedish and Norwegian musician at such a pub.I would have probably felt a little on the fringe there.

The next factor is the most striking of all the pub vibes. They are all places for social discourse. It is rare to find a busy pub without the requisit volume of conversation. And Irish LOVE conversation (did i say i felt right at home?) In most pubs, it doesnt take but a minute or two before you are engaged in conversation with an Irish person, who will make you laugh (they are genuinely naturally funny, not kidding) and they will buy your drinks and regale you with the stories of their life, with all the warts, regrets, self recriminations, sex, money, the whole shebang. at least some of the older ones will...

You may be expected to open up also...if you do,they will love you unabashedly, hug you alot, and use your name when speaking to you. if you dont,they will smile and let you know you arent really playing fair, buy you another drink,and move on....

The only other reason people go to pubs besides talking, is to listen to or play music.Music means, in this case, trad music (traditional), guitar, violin, banjo, bodhran, spoons,etc. any one can sit in, you just bring your instrument and join the group. somgs range from victorian ballads, to Mollie Malone, and even Goodnight Irene. The imbibing  patrons singalong,call out requests, but NEVER ....talk during the music...NEVER. the patrons will HUSH you, the musicians will HUSH you, the bartender will HUSH you. Got it? So you go to pubs to talk,to listen, or.......to watch the World Cup.

Oh,and what tiime does all the fun begin? In Annascaul, a small village on the Dingle peninsula, the South Pole bar was jammed to the rafters at.......10:30 am....
Whatever the purpose of a pub, whether music, or chatting, Irish people characterize the "fun" factor as "craic". Good craic is a compliment to a pub, a reason to go there. Vibrant, maybe noisy, a happy vibe.
Bad craic is equally an insult, meaning "stay away". A bar with only a few people, quiet, low energy, is consifered BAD CRAIC.........they should try Schuberg's at 10 pm on a weekday night.........