Guinness: Pure Genius

  Guinness is disgusting - There I said it.

Guinness Storehouse, St James Gate, Dublin
(c) fifiheavey

I feel sorry for poor souls who think they have to drink a whole pint in order to really experience Ireland.

You don't have to – we understand. It is an acquired taste.

You wouldn't eat a whole jar of Vegemite to get the Australia experience so don't do it here - if you must order a glass!

Saying that I love Guinness, I love the two tone colour, the complicated skill of pouring the perfect pint, the symbolism, the creative ads and the name brand. So when my my friend returned home from OZ on hols and suggested we visit the Guinness Storehouse, I jumped at the chance.

Indoor waterfall, Guinness Storehouse
(C) fifiheavey

Seven story's high and surrounded in a glass atrium shape in the form in a pint of Guinness, the storehouse is a superb look at what goes into the legendary stout. Stepping over the precious 9,000 year old lease signed by Arthur Guinness (the genius behind the black stuff) you start on your journey through the main ingredients of water, barley, hops and yeast. The indoor waterfall gives a lovely background for photos as well as a surreal visual display.

An interactive digital man takes you through the process of mixing the ingredients, roasting, boiling and settling the liquid – and all the rigorous tests that the Guinness undertakes before it hits the road in the barrel.

Learning the trade, Guinness Storehouse
(c) fifiheavey

As a past bar maid in Ireland, I can let you in on a secret the reason why Guinness tastes so good in Irish bars is of course that we know how to pour it, but also because more people drink it here the pipes are cleaned religiously. In other countries the Guinness may not be as popular and so will not need the same amount of cleaning and maintenance.

One of the best exhibits in the storehouse for me was the adverts. You can go all the way back to the very first Guinness ad and keep watching as the creative brand makes a name for itself all over the world using wacky ideas.

There is a new drinking responsible quiz and tips and a new find your Guinness roots part as well as a short film on the amount of events Guinness sponsor around the world.

Views from the Gravity Bar, Guinness Storehouse
(c) fifiheavey

If you have never had a proper pint of Guinness or are intrigued by the pouring process I recommend you enter the Guinness Academy and learn how to expertly pour your own pint (you get a keep sake cert too to show your friends back home). As I obviously know how to pour, we moved up to the Gravity Bar for some stunning views of Dublin's Fair City. We got our complimentary pints and after using them as photo props we passed them on to those more grateful for the "distinctive" taste.

Good things come to those who wait!
(C) fifiheavey

Tip: Buy your ticket on line – it is a little bit cheaper (€14.50 compared to €16) and prepare to leave with a Guinness moustache!

The Wedding

I like to review hotels, B&Bs, events and destinations, but this week I want to take a big step and review a wedding.

This wedding was no ordinary wedding where usually dinner is the best part, people groan through the speeches and save the dancing until 2am, this was an American Irish Wedding.

It brought together the best traditions of both cultures to make it a mega event which will be impossible to top in this century.

The celebrations began a week before the wedding (or at the engagement two years ago – depends on your point of view) the groom, his best men and friends headed for a top secret weekend to Amsterdam while the ladies brought Dublin to a standstill – and that was just with with their Guinness drinking.

I was delighted to be in the wedding party as I was doing a reading (nailed it) and so as per American tradition got invited to Rehearsal Dinner. It was such a lovely event held at the beautiful Creevy Pier Hotel, Ballyshannon. The dinner was full of heart felt thank yous to close friends and family, some gift were exchanged, a meal consumed and a few drinks ...

Could we submerge this tradition into Irish weddings?

We had some of these...

No way in hell – firstly getting the immediate wedding party, let alone friends and family away from the bar the night before a wedding would prove impossible. Also the speeches are directed to the people who have most helped you along in life, they are meant to be emotive – that would be pretty flat here. As a nation we do insult much better than flattery.

On July 8, the sun shone down on the wedding party as Rory (my giant cousin) and his beautiful lady Megan exchanged their vows, and throughout the day those up above tied down the rain gods and let the sun angels free on Co Donegal, lighting up the sky and allowing us to walk slowly and majestically instead of running frantically.

The destination of the reception was the grand Great Northern Hotel, Bundoran. The location, service and atmosphere was top notch. The food was exquisite – Oysters, New England Chowder and instead of the usual “beef or salmon” request we were rewarded with Beef, Salmon and Lobster for the main course with a delicious selection of treats for desert.

Although I felt I would see that oyster return up the same way later on that night, it did not and within a few hours after some dancing we were ready for some evening snacks which included fish and chips, battered sausages (yum) and burgers. Oh and there were sweets!

No it wasn't just the food that made the wedding, it also was not the ALL DAY OPEN BAR (although boy did it help) that made the occasion so memorable, it was of course the people.

The bride and groom were the party leaders, they danced and jumped, smiled and posed and drank and we all followed suit.

Megan & Rory (c)fifiheavey

Unusually the best men and bridesmaids along with the stunning bride and groom each did a party piece as they were applauded to their seats at the reception, this took confidence (which was in abundance) and really set the tone for the day.

Although many say you can't beat an Irish wedding, it was the yanks (I know the Red Sox fans won't like that) who really brought the fun to Fundoran. Not for them, sitting in the corner until five to two before unleashing the dance moves. They were up and at em after the first dance.

Everyone mixed so well (the alcohol helped there) and within an hour the handsome American hunks were fighting over dancing with my granny, there was Irish dancing, RnB moves and of course some dirty dancing.

The end of that magical night did not mean the end of the celebrations because Saturday they were up and out ready for more.

I don't think a wedding reception inside the Guinness Storehouse or even Disneyland would top this wedding, and why would we want to? The day was just a small tribute to the amazing newly married couple and to their friends and family who each brought their own flair to The Wedding.

This was the real Royal Wedding, no heirs or graces just some fun loving Americans, drinking loving Irish and one hell of a party.

Brilliant, awesome - legendary!

Finding your roots in Ireland

Check out my guest blog post on Cheapoair.typepad.com

Ireland, the land of a thousand welcomes (Cead Mile Failte) reaches out all over the world. This small island in the Atlantic Ocean lays claim to almost 50million people who are proud to say they are Irish.

Thousands of visitors arrive on the shores of Erin each yeGuar and leave with a special connection to a country they will forever more call home, because it is from here that their ancestors were forced to leave to make a better life from themselves and their families.

For the millions who claim to have Irish ancestry, a visit to the Celtic land is one that will never be forgotten.  Tracing you family roots back to olde Ireland could never be easier with census information, shipping reports and land valuations online, but nothing sparks your imagination better than a visit home.

Come see where exactly your ancestors grew up and lived, find out from locals in small villages all over the country what it was like to live in your great, great, great grandparent’s era. There are local museums and information stores all over the country, and the Irish only love to tell stories. Some may be accurate descriptions, but many will be tales passed down through generations and will be embellished  with a few add ons here and there!

Hike the mountain and valleys of your ancestors, drink the Guinness and whiskey you know they thirsted for in their new country and finally get to grip with the Irish fascination with potatoes. In Ireland we find a way to include this staple vegetable into every meal!

You think you know the colour green? You don’t have a clue, until you witness the 40 shades of green in an Irish country side. You need to get back to when smoke filled the small cottages from turf fires, when bread was baked over an open fire, not a closed oven and a cup of tea solved the majority of problems.

In a land which has breath taking scenery, structures older than the pyramids, where once the most learned scholars came to be educated  you find a heaven of music, dance, song and the famous ‘craic’. You have not laughed until you have heard the ‘yearns’ of a charming old country man or cried as much until you have to say good bye.

For information on researching your Irish ancestry visit: http://www,rootsireland.ieor http://www.irishgenealogy.ie

Celebrating 'Irishness' on March 17

St Patrick's Day for me is one of the most ironic days of the year.

The day of full on Irishness, where listening to Diddly Eye music becomes the cool, drinking Guinness a must and a full suit of green totally acceptable- is the best day of the year NOT to be in Ireland!

You actually have not truly celebrated this island's patron saint in style if you have not done so in a foreign country. Even leaving the country to celebrate the day (weekend/ week) is not quite enough I estimate that you need to be about three months out of this Emerald Isle to truly appreciate and therefore enjoy March 17 in full.

This year Paddy's Day falls on a Saturday (2012) so we have the next day off and the one after that too (we need it - recession and all) and because of the weekend date it means all around the world we can party together (aside from some time challenges!)

When in Ireland, being Irish is so ... well ... common, right now even a little sad, but on foreign soil being Irish is well the most darn important thing in the world (even if the natives are truly sick of you and your kind!)

I am sure emigration has touched about everyone at this stage, a brothers, a sister, a best friend, cousin and it is terrible, horrible to watch them have to leave, heart breaking not to know when they will return, if they get a job, settle down, like it there ... but on the major plus side they get to celebrate St Patrick's Day in real Irish abroad style.

While we sup our pints and watch the parade, they will be flying high, dancing a jig, singing a song, flying a flag and really meaning it.

GAA jerseys from every county will combine and chat and drink and be merry, it doesn't matter if they know each other, if they will never see each other again, because for just one day, March 17 Irish people all over the world will unite.

On St Patrick's Day Irishness isn't a stamp on the front of your passport, it isn't a green white and gold flag, it isn't even an accent or a story, it is a state of mind, a piece of your heart and large proportion of your soul.

I believe St Patrick's Day was invented for Irish emigrants, because no matter how much they despise this country that has made them leave their homes, on March 17 they will only recall fond memories, funny antidotes and hazy pictures.

We can only hope that those left behind can do the same.

To the Irish at home and abroad – Happy St Patrick's Day!

High cross at the Rock of Cashel, co Tipperary
(C) fifiheavey