Irish Pubs – Get Your Craic Here
Temple Bar
When I lived in London, pubs were my “go to” spots, primarily because I barely knew a soul. I found I could go to most any pub, grab a pint and a meal without feeling the least bit awkward. In the pub, I never felt obligated to enter as part of a group – it just did not matte, as I was soon enveloped in easy acceptance. For the record, I never felt this way in any of the American bars I’ve frequented, and it could be I just made poor selections, but I don’t think so. Now, to be fair, its been a while since I’ve frequented an English pub, and while I still have very fond memories, there was just something about Irish pubs that made me smile. Believe me, on my trip, I was anxious to see how the Irish stacked up against the English pubs of my fond memories. When I was in Ireland, my mom will swear that there was not a pub I did not photograph, but I take exception to this statement, I only took pictures of pubs that caught my attention, but I’ll give my mother credit that there were many that fit in that category, and I struggled trying to articulate why that was so.
Waverly Inn
I also learned, as I was mulling over ideas for this post that I am not alone in my appreciation. Far from it, in fact, as evidenced by the number of “Irish” pubs in my neighborhood and around the world. While at the San Francisco library I stumbled across the book, A Pint of Plain – Tradition Change and the Fate of the Irish Pub by Bill Barich, and of course I borrowed it immediately. In it, he touched upon some topics I was struggling to formulate into solid ideas; craic (a word to which I was introduced to in Ireland), and the concept of the “third place”, provided me an “ah-ha” moment. Per Bill Barich, Irish pubs acquire what is called craic (pronounced “crack” but spelled differently to avoid confusion with crack cocaine – seriously ). At its most basic, craic = “fun”, but it is more. Sociologist, Adrian Pearce, describes it as a “collectively produced performance” that can spread randomly from pub to pub. Pearce says “word spreads that the atmosphere is promising, and people begin to drift in that direction…conversation becomes intense, the noise level soars.” Everyone enjoys the pub but cannot say why. A virus of happiness, perhaps?
Can Craic be bottled? Is there a formula?
Kyteler's Inn
In the US, and from what I’ve seen many other parts of the world, many an individual has attempted to replicate craic in the from of Irish bars, and for good reason. When polled most visitors site the Irish pubs as a chief attraction to Ireland. In the US, they’ve been incredibly popular, but are they really the same? One that I knew of, that fit the bill was Fadó in Washington, DC’s “Chinatown” – which I put in quotes as I have never seen a less authentic Chinatown. This place is always full, it has craic to be sure, but lacks authenticity. For me its a bit soulless, and I never cottoned on to the idea of plastic, generic menus like those found at a Denny’s. I guess I also did not want to know I could find Fadó in about a dozen other cites down the Eastern Seaboard, or the entire set up, with the antiques and musical instruments seemed to strategically placed. It was a bit staged in my mind, but not everyone feels the same, as evidenced by explosion in the number of Irish themed pubs, and the fact that they can be incredibly popular.
Irish Pub Concept
The Hairy Lemon
When I say incredibly popular, I mean that the Irish Pub Concept Group alone has built over 500 pubs in over 45 countries, all with carefully chosen names. That’s how popular! That’s just one group, not the John Foley’s around the block from me or, Kennedy’s Irish Pub and Curry House which suffers from multiple personalities. It has become a booming industry. It may come as a surprise to you that the country with the most Irish pubs is Italy. The IPC, for short, sprung from the creative marketing geniuses at Guinness, or what is now Diageo as a way to further expand the market for their beer. They claim that the investment can be recouped in just three years. Also according to Mel McNally, founder of IPC (as quoted in the Pint of Pain book, p. 48) If a British pub switched to an Irish theme and refits their interiors with tin signs, Jameson mirrors its profits frequently triple. The same comparison was made between an Irish pub and a comparably sized American bar – the returns on the Irish pub are 3x that of its lightweight American counterpart. Does it make you want to quit your day job to go into the pub business?
Monroe's
Not so fast – its a lot of work to be a good publican, and not everyone is well suited for it. What makes a good “Publican” seeing people, being fond of people”, says Dessie Hynes, a retired publican who ran O’Donoghue’s [birthplace of the musical group "The Dubliners", says a good publican "must be a democrat, an autocrat, an acrobat and a doormat". The publican stories I read showed hard work and dedication, it was not for the faint of heart, as every pub that made at least a 3x return, there were many that may have scraped by.
Why so?
Jim Edwards
Dr Mark McGovern, a lecturer in the Social Sciences, looked at the role of Irish pub culture in the development of the Irish tourism industry, and presented his findings at the 26th Annual Conference on Social Theory, Politics and the Arts in Washington DC in a paper called One Singer, One Song: Irish Pub Culture, Irish Identity and the Impact of Tourism. Dr McGovern said tourism was a primary growth area for the Irish economy in the past decade and that trend seems here to stay. A key feature of selling Ireland as a tourist destination is its unique night-time culture. Tourist policy and literature focuses on Irish dance, music, conviviality and conversation. But Dr McGovern said that focus, along with the popularity of the Irish theme pub, has led to a ‘commodification’ of Irish identity and culture. ”It has an impact on the perceptions of Irish people in general, but cultural activities are also affected by having to be reproduced to satisfy the tourist market.”
advert on a pub
According to Dr McGovern, the traditional Irish session, where people would perform music or dance in a pub setting, has changed because of tourists’ demands. He said: “Something like 40% of tourist visitors to public houses in Ireland are to ‘singing pubs’, where there is entertainment put on for tourists in a very particular way. Irish traditional musicians and dancers are becoming cultural workers like they never were before. ”I’m not suggesting that this is necessarily a problem – in many ways it has created employment in the performers’ home locations. But I am arguing that aspects of the session are being changed by it.
O'Donoghues
“What was a participatory culture, where everybody would do a turn, is developing into more of a player-audience situation.” ”Also the range of cultural performance has lessened because people don’t recognise the nuances and variety of different styles. ”There are also issues and problems with the image of the Irish being heavy drinkers when in terms of average per capita intake they don’t drink as much as most people in Europe. [Maybe not when he did his research, but I found data showing Luxembourg leads, followed by France, with Ireland coming in a close third.] What is distinctive about Irish drinking is its public nature.”
Dr McGovern carried out his research in the early 1990s as a result of the rising popularity of Irish themed pubs. ”The Irish theme bar has been a global phenomenon. I wanted to explore the reasons why that developed, the form it was taking and the relationship between that and the expectations of people from abroad when they went to Ireland.” ”What has been coming through is because the theme bars portray Ireland as a traditional society, and the people as fun loving and friendly, people expect Irish pubs to look and act like theme bars when they come to Ireland. The result has been a growth of Irish theme bars in Ireland.”
Third Places
The Foggy Dew
Third places was another reason that Bill Barich identified as part of the appeal of the Irish pub. Urban sociologist, Dr. Ray Oldenburg, defines third places, or “great good places,” as public places with a neutral ground where people can gather and interact. Different from first places (home) and second places (work), third places allow people to put aside their concerns and simply enjoy the company and conversation around them. Third places “host the regular, voluntary, informal, and happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work.” Aside from pubs, which fit the bill with a capital “T”, other places, Oldenburg suggests are third places include beer gardens, main streets, cafés, coffeehouses, post offices. ”Third places are the heart of a community’s social vitality and the foundation of a functioning democracy. They promote social equality by leveling the status of guests, provide a setting for grassroots politics, create habits of public association, and offer psychological support to individuals and communities.”
Third places or craic aside, the clincher for me was at the Kyteler’s Inn in Kilkenny pub where I noticed a woman, about my mother’s age, sitting at an adjacent table, savoring the last of her Guinness with gust; licking her lips to capture an errant drip and enjoying the last few nibbles of the chips (French fries) she had ordered. She had obviously stopped on her way home from grocery shopping, as her purchases were strewn all around her. I thought that incredibly civilized and again spoke to the special place that pubs have in the fabric of the Irish lives. At least to this outsider’s opionion, as I can honestly say, it would never occur to me to do the same here in San Francisco, in any of the neighborhood bars around me. Stop in for a pint on my way home from the Asian Market – no never occurred to me. I’m not sure if its the craic or the third place appeal or a “special sauce” combination of the two, but whatever the reason, I am mighty grateful to have encountered many authentic Irish pubs to while away the time with friends and family. Its also nice to know that if need be, I’ll probably find an Irish pub no matter where I venture.
I came across this saying by Flann O’Brien from his “The Workman’s Friend” on the window of a pub, and thought it summed up the situation nicely:
When things go wrong and will not go right,
Though you do the best you can,
When life looks black as the hour of night -
A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.
When money’s tight and is hard to get
And your horse has also ran,
When all you have is a heap of debt -
A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.
A Pint of Plain
I read a story recently — published in the New York Times, I believe — that talked about how small-town British pubs are a dying breed now because of the wretched economy. Old-time locals mourned the loss of them as a gathering place like no other. It just shows how a time-worn bar can be such an important part of the community fabric.
I’ve never been into a pub before, much less a British or Irish pub…my imagery of them is from Harry Potter! lol.
That’s cool that there is one in DC! So close to my parents! But…too bad it’s not authentic…boo.
How do you pronounce craic?
I like pubs. There’s one in LA that I like to go to once in a while. For some reason I feel at home there than in any bar or club.
Ah, craic – an Irish (Gaelic) word that existed long before crack cocaine was heard of. There is undoubtedly something very particular about the nature of Irish pubs which I have never found anywhere else in the world. The foreign Irish pubs replicate it to a greater or, often, lesser extent – to be honest, I tend to avoid those places when I am abroad, unless I am away for an extended period and feeling particularly homesick!
I like the “third place” definition – traditionally for the Irish, pubs have absolutely been the third place, an intrinsic part of the social fabric. We are latecomers to the idea of coffeehouses and beer gardens and drinking wine at home, whereas the notion of stopping into the pub on the way back from shopping seems much more natural here.
There is a huge difference between a bar and a pub. I love the notion of “craic.” We have yet to catch up. Or create something translate-able.
I had exactly the same feeling of acceptance in English pubs as you had, but have never been to Ireland. After reading your experiences, I now absolutely have to!!
Carolyn – they have some of those same problems in Ireland too, from what I’ve been reading, its just interesting to me to see the pub so ingrained in the culture, in a way the coffee house is not even here – it really is an extension of their living room. Fingers crossed they can hang on, I’m rooting for them.
Sophia – some do have a “Harry Potter” feel to them. I miss the Dubliner when I was there. Don’t take my word for the pubs, you’ll have to check them out for yourself. That’s just my impression and my ideas. Some folks really love that format, I’m just not one of them. One of my favorite places, and not an Irish pub, but to me had a bit of that feeling is the Tabert Inn in DC – just off Conn Ave on M Street as I recall. Also its such a fluid feeling, part of the appeal may be just which patrons showed up that night.
Jenn – I’m with you 100%
DS – I defer to the expert here. For me, I may have been perfectly content with the imitation until I tried the real thing, but its hard to mimic that sense of camaraderie. I just don’t think its something you can force to be replicated. There are some good imitations but they leave you wanting the real thing.
Claudia – sounds like the Irish have a fantastic head start here as their word goes back to long ways, but I think this project would be fun to start.
Crystal – This sort of research is what I’m all about! =)
I love Irish pubs- I used to go to a couple in the Richmond pretty frequently. Kennedy’s is one funny place, I have to say. I’ve been on occasion after a show at Bimbo’s across the street.
Yes, the pubs on this side of the pond have this amazing feel. And they are so frequented! In London, near my apartment, the pubs are packed every evening beginning at 4pm! There are also many, usually older gentlemen enjoying a pint for breakfast. You gotta do, what you gotta do when its drizzling and cold out!
A childhood friend of my husbands plays the fiddle at pubs in County Clare in Ireland. Now, that pub experience was unlike anything I have experienced in London. The music, the ale, and the warmth of the pubs are something I will always remember. And, I’m going back to Ireland for a long weekend soon – to the Dingle!
I bet I could craic you up with my travels to Ireland years ago! Talk about pub fun…I would ask locals where to go for a good pub meal and when they pointed towards the tourist magnet I went down the other alleys till I hit all of the ‘real’ local hang outs…ha you have flooded the memories back into my mind and I am craic’ing a smile…
having an irish husband means many evenings spent at the pub when at home visiting the in-laws in the emerald isle! the music is what i enjoy most, since i’m such a lightweight.
I think that the concept of “pubs” was exported to several countries (including mine): with the great Brits and Irish people we’ve here your post is very familiar to me. The concept here is more Brit than US though. As always I enjoy a lot your articles
Cheers!
Gera
Lisa – I know the Richmond District seems to be ground zero for Irish bars in SF. Kennedy’s is such an interesting concept, so quirky that you gotta love it.
Gastro – I have to say when I was working in London, it was a bit disconcerting to have everyone disappear at 4, but I gotta say, I learned to love it. Lucky you to be able to head back and take in some incredible music.
Chef E – too funny! I’m with you, I always went in the opposite direction in search of authensity.
KMS – The music is certainly special and makes for an incredible experience. Lucky you to have a steady excuse for frequent trips back.
Gera – Thanks Gera.
How warm, cozy and welcoming! I’m packing my bags and moving to Ireland!
We loved going to the Irish pubs for early dinners in Dublin, but they always kicked us out around 6 or 7, no kids allowed after that time.
There are many Aussie pubs here. Don’t know if the Irish pubs would have some poker machines inside, just like the Aussie pubs.
An excellent & great post this is!! I so love English & Irish pubs!! Here in Belgium, we don’t know the concept of a pub. Okay, we have irish pubs in Brussels, but it is not the same,..;
We used to love going to a pub 10 minutes from my house.They had the best salads and sandwiches, but they close a couple months ago. It was a fun place with great music and delicious food:)
Reeni – I’ll go with you! Wait for me.
Natasha – agree, there is something warm and cozy about them. We spent some time around the pubs near Trinity College and it was a lot of fun to take in the plans for the future companies – just like Silicon Valley, in fact.
Christine – Hmm, I am not sure I’ve been to an Aussie pub, can’t think of one of the top, shall have to seek one out for comparison sake. Can’t remember seeing the poker machines at the pubs.
Sophie – Thanks! How about a good Belgian pub, do you have something similar?
Erica – lucky you, the closest Irish pub here is really a sports bar, so definitely not the same ambiance.
The pub scene can probably never be repicated outside the UK and Ireland. But we have fully authentic American experiences, like… like.., um… err. Let me get back to you! GREG
I like the idea of a third place. I hadn’t heard of that before, but it makes a lot of sense. And, I agree, a bar is not the same as a pub.
I loved reading this history of pub culture. My husband and I are on the look out for one in every place we travel, but there is nothing quite like going to one in Ireland. We were introduced to the concept of craic by the girl sitting next to us on the plane on our first trip over. Such an intriguing concept that you can’t ignore once you are there.
Sippity – I’m with you, how about burger joints, authentic stuff, like A&W Rootbeer, and other car dining experiences?
Lisa – I thought the idea of third place captured it really well.
Lori – I’m with you, I’m a craic junky now, no pun intended but once you know about it, you have got to follow through.