Over thirty years ago I lived off and on in the Rathmines area of Dublin for a couple of years. It was a great experience, but one of the most important cultural learnings was how to buy and drink a pint of Guinness. I should say now that I only drink Guinness in Ireland, and in Ireland I only drink Guinness. I had thought that the rituals could only be learnt by experience but Head Rambles (who is up there with Dilbert as a daily dose of cynical realism coupled with a delightful humour) has managed to codify the practice with brilliance here. For context you need to understand that as a service to humanity, Head Rambles believes in culling tourists ....
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Comments (3)
"in Ireland I only drink Guinness".....except maybe if you go down to Cork!
I spent a year working at Murphys Brewery in Cork City (Cork County is the 'Rebel' County) at the turn of the century - and what a wonderful experience it was! Being in bars where the old timers would suddenly start singing 'rebel' songs from the last century and everyone would listen with respect and emotion. And Murphys was THE drink. (Blind tasting the difference between G and Murphys was inconclusive - although I think Murphys is slightly sweeter).
This was when my interest in story telling began because there are some wonderful story tellers in Murphys - and the stories become part of the tapestry of the organisation and their connection with community. A key part of the day was breakfast in the canteen. This would typically be at about 9:30am and last anything up to an hour - and was a hugely entertaining and vital part of the day, exchange of stories and gossip and banter. Quie alien to most UK company experiences in that respect.
Best (most enjoyable and complete) I have worked on.
Posted by David Cronshaw | October 16, 2007 5:35 PM
Posted on October 16, 2007 17:35
Even in Cork you can get Guinness - and its better than Murphys ....
That said, Irish story tellers whatever they drink are amongst the best in the world. The Aran island pubs have some of the best (and the black stuff too)
Posted by Dave Snowden | October 16, 2007 8:22 PM
Posted on October 16, 2007 20:22
"Even in Cork you can get Guinness - and its better than Murphys ...."
Ha! - And as you might be aware, in Cork, Guinness is strictly for tourists!
Yes, the Aran Islands and the West Coast of Ireland where I have spent a lot of time, is rich in narrative. The only difficulty is sometimes understanding the words. I remember spending an hour with my Uncle-in law 'Jimmy' who has a farm near Westport. I think he was telling me about the price of sheep, but I couldn't be sure. I was just mesmerised by the flow of the words.
Posted by David Cronshaw | October 17, 2007 12:35 PM
Posted on October 17, 2007 12:35