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!

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