Those who don’t know Irish pubs, and the interesting people who frequent them, will always possess only a superficial knowledge of Irish life and culture. The Irish pub is not only an excellent guide to many attractive centres of celebration; it is also a helpful and civilised introduction to higher education in a convivial atmosphere.
To tens of millions of people around this globe who know what a Guinness is, Joyce remains only a girl’s name and the Abbey Theatre might as well be the local movie house. Other nationalities perceive our pubs as an expression of the best elements of the Irish character, havens of wit, camaraderie and musical integrity. It is no accident that the pub’s role in Ireland as the hub of communal and social existence, has been a feature of Irish life brought by emigrants to their new homes in America, Australia and Europe. The Irish expatriates who keep in contact with each other and events at home through their local Irish bars in Boston, Toronto, Brisbane and a hundred other cities, are following a hallowed tradition handed down by their forebears.