Dublin Pub Life and Lore: An Oral History - Softcover

Kearns, Kevin Corrigan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1570981647 ISBN 13: 9781570981647

Publisher: UNKNO, 1997

Synopsis

Offers the recollections of old publicans and "regulars" at Dublin pubs of life, politics, and friends

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Dublin was famous for its public houses even before James Joyce immortalized many of them in Ulysses. And Kearns, professor at the University of Northern Colorado, picks up where Joyce left off in this colorful history of the Dublin pub. A lengthy investigation into the place of alcohol, pubs and even temperance gives way to a discussion of the place of pubs in Dublin life. Here, Kearns describes such public houses as the recently closed Bailey, which catered to every nationalist Irishman from Parnell to Michael Collins (who, we are informed, was a sherry drinker), to the still vibrant McDaid's, the literary pub that Brendan Behan (who "couldn't hold his drink," according to his barman) frequented, and Kavanagh's, "The Gravediggers Pub," next to Glasnevin Cemetery. Readers will learn what a Shebeen is (an after-hours speakeasy), the importance and the dignity of the publican and what it means to be "barred" for life. Quotes from publicans, barmen and clients of long standing enrich the entire study, particularly in the last section, in which the author presents the testimonies of "over fifty public house `old timers,'" who bring the pubs to life with their informative and sometimes hilarious tales. This is a book that every tourist visiting Dublin should pack in the suitcase.

Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal:

Kearns (cultural geography and social history, Univ. of Northern Colorado; Dublin Tenement Life, Gill & Macmillan, 1994) has chosen a fascinating subject for his latest exploration of Irish customs. Dublin pub life should insure an interesting read and, in bits and pieces, it does. What rankles is Kearns's repeated use of the same information. By the time we reach the transcribed oral histories on page 90, we've already had the best of what's to come. That the pub has traditionally been the center of male-dominated socializing and drinking in Ireland is already well known, but there are unexpected elements, including the highly respected role of most Dublin publicans in the city, the near-monopoly of Guinness, and the barmen's strike of 1955. The appendix lists Dublin's genuine Victorian pubs, along with others of near-period architecture and fixtures. Recommended for academic libraries and public libraries with Irish collections. (Photographs not seen.)?Janet N. Ross, Sparks Branch Lib., Nev.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: UNKNO
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 1570981647
• ISBN 13: 9781570981647
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 273