Sunday, April 27, 2008

The downside of affluence - It seems that the days of sitting around the pub for hours on end with a pint of Guinness are coming to an end in Ireland. According this Boston Globe article, a thousand rural pubs have closed on the Emerald Isle because the economy is so strong that people would prefer to just go home and watch TV. Nut quote from an old-timer: "Where can we go after a funeral? After work? Where would we all meet?" Blimey!

2 comments:

John A said...

Uh, yeah, or at least maybe.

Might also have something to do with, oh, the smoking ban (not regulation, BAN) or "luxury" type taxes or outlawing own-brew or not allowing pubs to serve traditional pub fare or...

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't call it a "nut quote", lad. There's more to small Irish pubs than drinking. Social change is painful and she's lamenting that people are increasingly less interested in gathering together. You damned vikings have always had it in for the Irish. You're worse than Turgeis! (does this count as a Godwin's Law situation?)