Temple Barf

You may have read about the latest edition of the Lonely Planet Guide to Ireland - and its depiction of the Irish as a nation of drunks. How far they are off the mark is shown in statistics released today by the CSO: indicating that the volume of sales in Irish bars and pubs has fallen to 88% of their level in 2000.

It would seem that Lonely Planet's take on Irish drinking habits is just the latest in a long line of misguided (and sometimes malicious) commentaries on the Irish and their relationship with alcohol. Don't take our word for it though, read this excellent new paper from UCD's Geary Institute entitled: “Which Kind of Paddy? A Survey of the Literature on the History, Sociology and Anthropology of Alcohol and the Irish”.