SLÁINTE!

Dublin’s reputation as a hub for libations remains firmly in tact, but the influence sharing a round has on the cultural identity of this town can only really be appreciated in person. A challenge posed to those who visit Dublin is to navigate a route across the entire city without ever passing a pub. IF it’s ever been done, I’d say that’s worth a free pint!

The streets are lined with cozy watering holes teaming with lively patrons, from far and wide, enjoying a contagious social buzz. While Guinness and Jameson do seem to dominate the landscape, it would be a lifelong undertaking to sample the vast variety of whiskeys and beers on offer.

Peering through windows never meant to hang neon, from the cobblestone streets never meant for Nikes, one quickly gets a sense of the value these congregation stations offer the populous and hath offered for millennia. A place to unwind, a space for critical discourse, and a meeting point for old friends and new, the pubs offer a safe haven from the pressures and perils of daily life.

Some of the greatest thinkers were drinkers, and even the church isn’t immune. Many movements, revolutions and creative innovations were born in the tavern. From Heuston Station, past The Brazen Head, along the River Liffey, and across the Ha’Penny Bridge, music draws people in to take respite from the cold and warm up with their favorite elixir. Through the Temple Bar, around Trinity College, and on to Dublin Bay, strangers unite around the ceremony of breaking liquid bread and sharing an idea or a laugh. It’s more than ponying up to the pine to take the edge off, it’s tradition. Sláinte!

~Jeff