A Pint of Plain is Barich's witty, deeply observant portrait of the old Ireland vanishing before our eyes. Drawing on the works of Flann O'Brien (the title comes from one of his poems), James Joyce, Brendan Behan, and J. M. Synge, Barich explores how Irish culture has become a commodity for export for such firms as the Irish Pub Company, which has build some five hundred "authentic" Irish pubs in forty-five counties. The tale of Arthur Guinness and the famous brewery he founded in the mid-eighteenth century reveals the astonishing fact that today more stout is sold in Nigeria then in Ireland itself. While 85 percent of the Irish will stop by a pub at least once a month, strict drunk-driving laws have helped kill business in rural areas. Even traditional Irish music, whose rich roots "connect the past to the present and close a circle," is less prominent in pub life. Ironically, while Irish pubs in the countryside are closing at the alarming rate of one per day, plastic IPC-type pubs are being born in foreign countries at the exact same rate. From the famed water holds of Dublin to tiny village pubs, Barich introduces a colorful array of characters, and, ever pursing the craic- the quintessential Irish word for a good time- reveals an unvarnished yet affectionate portrait of Ireland as it exists today.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.