Guinness, the drink most closely linked to the concept of Irishness celebrates its 250th Birthday today. Throughout my 32 years on this planet Guinness has played a role in my social life. As a toddler there were photos taken of me trying to drink Guinness from my grandfathers glass. As a young boy i always admired the way a pint of Guinness was created in the pub or from a bottle and the special care and attention it received from the pourer. Other beers never got the same attention or careful consideration from barmen or customers. Later when i started drinking i came to understand the reasons behind this mysterious devotion to the structure of a pint of Guinness. I worked for some time as a barman myself and learned the skill, no the art, to pulling a pint of Guinness.
Guinness has always been special. Its ads and slogans through the years have always marked it out from other drinks. Early publicity suggested that due to more natural brewing processes it was better for you than other beers, ales and stouts; hence the slogan 'Guinness is good for you' (this was parodied by Joyce in Finnegans Wake where he used the phrase 'gengis is ghoon for you') and even today Guinness is offered to people as a revitaliser to blood donors after they give blood. Later ads would use the phrases 'Guinness for Strength' and 'no beer comes near, Guinness'. They used clever word play and anagrams, finding the word Genius within the Guinness name. The advertising campaigns run by companies for Guinness have almost always been hugely creative and clever. My favourites include 'The Surfer', 'The Anticipation', 'The Island', 'Fridge' and the more recent 'Domino'. All the campaigns have been memorable. As a brand Guinness is recognised worldwide and throughout Ireland the Harp emblem and the Guinness name are to be seen in every town and village.
Historically Guinness has been hugely important to Ireland and in particular to Dublin. For the past 250 years the Brewery at St James' Gate in Dublin has been a huge source of economic revenue for Dublin. The Guinness family, though now only minor shareholders in the company (Diageo drinks corp now control the company) have been very generous to the city of Dublin and were definitely seen as the most generous of employers when they owned the Brewery. They were hugely philanthropic; supporting numerous causes both social and artistic. They provided healthcare and affordable housing for their workers aswell as contributing to the social hosing schemes for Dublin. Arthur Guinness the founder of the brewery in 1759, whose signature still adorns the bottles, cans and glasses that contain this fine beverage, took out a lease of 999 years on the land where the brewery stands today; talk about confidence in you product. But that foresight was a good thing. Guinness has developed over the years with all the changes in 250 years of its existence it has stayed relevant as other beers have fallen by the wayside. It has conquered the world where other ales have failed.
For Ireland Guinness is as important abroad as it is at home. The Guinness Brand offers sponsorship to many events throughout Ireland and to various professional sports teams also. In terms of tourism the Guinness brand is so recognisable to the outside world that often Guinness and the Irish Tourist Bord will work together at events. Guinness is associated with the 'craic', a particularly irish concept of fun. Guinness is the drink of choice of the fun loving gaels, of people who aspire to a certain sense of Irishness (whether it is in their blood or not). Like it or not in Ireland, the 250th birthday of Guinness this year is intrinsically linked to our heritage and culture. It is something that needs to be acknowledged.
So to those of you out there who aspire to the Irish spirit and joie de vivre or as we call it 'the Craic'; I say raise a glass or two of Guinness this year and think of a quiet corner in a small pub in rural Ireland. A place where little old men in cloth caps sit at a bar and talk in muttered tones of hurling, silage and local politics. A place where a small fire burns in the hearth and an old damp dog sits quietly watching the comings and goings of the customers. A pub that smells of peat smoke and stale beer. Think of the real home of Guinness, 'the Black Stuff' and imagine yourself there. And while there say a few words of thanks to Arthur Guinness Master Brewer.
