Happy St. Patrick's Day 2024!!

JackPrintMD said:
The Quiet Man just filled the screen as it always does this day.
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Great Flick, and a great castle hotel where the cast stayed, a castle that we had the pleasure of staying at a few times during our Ireland residency. Ashford Castle, Cong, Co. Mayo

Our young kids were bowled over when their "Chips" came out in perfect cubes, the potatoes arranged such that each layer was offset 90° from the layer below it. They still talk about it. And in my first of very few golf outings, I sank a 55' putt, much to the chagrin of my friend who takes the game very seriously. He was not amused when a hacker like me sank that shot.

Favorite Line From The Movie: Here's a good stick to beat the lovely lady...
 
Roccus7 said:
Forgot to mention that we did see "THE" cottage, but it had fallen into disrepair a long time before we saw it in 1996...
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My Da with all his brothers and sisters were raised on a Family dairy farm in Mullingar.

That cottage and surrounding area must have been beautiful to see.
Da went back once with one of my brothers and sister, wish I went and saw all that.
Maybe one day but should have went then since now my Da would only be there in spirit .
 
JackPrintMD said:
My Da with all his brothers and sisters were raised on a Family dairy farm in Mullingar.
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Mullingar, right off of the N4, the route from my home near Sligo to Dublin. IIRC, once we got to Mullingar, there was a brief shot of 4 lane motorway, but that's been well-expanded over the years.
 
OK, wasn't going to start a new thread about this, and this seems to be the best place for it. Today I was sucked into doing something I've avoided for many years, probably about 20, and that is having a draft pint of Guinness in America

We stopped at a local pub for a late lunch today, and while we were waiting for our table, I noticed this place was cited as "Best Pint of Guinness in America" 3 times in the last 15 years as voted by the Guinness Lovers of America. I thought these awards merited me trying a pint. Well Guinness Lovers of America, I'd guess you never visited a pub in Ireland because you don't know Jack about a proper pint. I couldn't even finish mine.

OK, here's the critical, scientific summary.
  1. TIME TO DRAW A PINT: I asked for one and within a minute, there was one sitting in front of me. DANGER!! In Ireland it takes at least 2 minutes to draw a proper pint and involves multiple steps and a special tap. The barkeep took none of the extra steps, just drew it like any old beer.

  2. HEAD SIZE AND CONSISTENCY: Head was only about 1/2" which is about 50% of an Irish and had poor consistency, it should be almost as "solid" as cappuccino foam and this one wasn't even close. In Ireland, you can actually sculpture things in the head. I would often make a "Smiley Face" for my kids. I started to try doing one today and the head couldn't hold it. Here's what some simple Guinness Head Art looks like. Also notice the size of the head:
    1711750676626.png


  3. THE RINGS OF GUINNESS: Because of the foaminess of a native Irish pint, there will be telltale rings on your glass left back where you stop to take a breath. Here's a photo of the rings of a proper pint:

    1711751506909.png


    Here's my glass after 3 sips followed by long rests, can you see them?? I cant:

    1711751144556.png


  4. TASTE: OK, the physical traits chronicled above are minor aspects until the taste is analyzed. The verdict: VERY BITTER, NOT CREAMY unlike the pints I have enjoyed on the Emerald Isle. I decided to get a second opinion so I asked the Admiral to taste prior to me proclaiming my verdict to her. Her immediate comment was "Wow, that's so bitter, not at all like in Ireland!". For the record, she's never been a real fan of that nectar of the Gods, more of a Smithwick's fan, but she still picked right up on that.
In summary, once again I strayed from my vow of abstaining from Guinness on this side of the Atlantic with the same predictable result, "Never Again!!" If you enjoy a pint on this side of "the pond", please continue, but do plan on having a real pint and go visit Ireland. Just be warned that the last one you have there might be the last you ever want to have.

And to those of you who don't like Guinness here, please try one when visiting the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland, you may be shocked about just how amazing it is.
 
WhatKnot said:
I’ve heard opinions from very local Astoria Irishmen that the cans (with the widget) are far better than the drafts in the US, but not close to the real thing in Eire.
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True statement, foamy head is there, but it's still a little bitter. I'm chalking the bitterness to pasteurization...

Regardless, the inventor of the widget nitrogen process deserves a Nobel Prize. It was first used in cans of Newcastle Ale...
 
JackPrintMD said:
Siobhan always got me.
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My first try when I got to Ireland was "Shi-o-bhan", a major fail.

But when I started properly calling Padraiq as PAW-rig in the states, everyone laughed. Padriag came to my defense and said, "Dom's right. I've given up trying to teach you Yanks, so it's PAD-rig here."

Have some good craic on Monday, but stay away from the American bastardizations of your proud heritage. I see you've got the soda bread sopping up the Kellygold, 😍
 
Roccus7 said:
My first try when I got to Ireland was "Shi-o-bhan", a major fail.

But when I started properly calling Padraiq as PAW-rig in the states, everyone laughed. Padriag came to my defense and said, "Dom's right. I've given up trying to teach you Yanks, so it's PAD-rig here."

Have some good craic on Monday, but stay away from the American bastardizations of your proud heritage. I see you've got the soda bread sopping up the Kellygold, 😍
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Yes Sir, thank You and do the the same.
 
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