A Pint of Plain: Tradition, Change and the Fate of the Irish Pub

By Bill Barich

When Bill Barich moved to Dublin, he began searching for a traditional pub to serve as his local. Although he had no shortage of choices, he had trouble finding one that measured up to the archetypal ideal. As he roams from hectic urban pubs to their dwindling rural counterparts, he chronicles the state of the 'Irish' pub today, both in Ireland itself and all over the world. Entertaining, charming and full of insight, A Pint of Plain chronicles Barich's quest for the perfect pint, at the same time examining Irish culture at a time of great change.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Aug 2, 2010
• ISBN: 9781408813720

Bill Barich

Bill Barich is the author of numerous books, among them Big Dreams: Into the Heart of California and The Sporting Life. He has written extensively for The New Yorker, as well as Playboy and Sports Illustrated. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow in fiction. Barich lives in Dublin, Ireland.

Reviews for A Pint of Plain

[tony2704 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fair. Interesting and at times funny, especially when talking in the present, however the history parts of the book were a little boring

[ehickey_18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I dreaded this initially when it was given to me, expecting it to be Oirish American nonsense, but this is a good book and much better than I had thought it would be. Barich is an American relocated to Dublin, who sets out to find the "perfect pub". In his mind are stereotypes and ideals about original furnishings, strong silent men, great conversation and craic (tm), and the usual tourist board imagery. He visits many pubs and decides that they fall into various categories - including trophies (eg Brazen Head, Doheny & Nesbitt); neighbourhood pubs (pleasant enough but boring and full of sports TV); and modern monstrosities (he's old). The best scenes are the visits to some tiny, dying country pubs - MD Hickeys in Clonaslee and OConnors in Athy - run by proprietors in their late 70s, great characters. He's also good on describing the exported "Irish pub" as it exists in the US and farming life. In the end Grogans in Dublin city centre, the Cobblestone in Smithfield and Kavanaghs in Glasnevin, as well as Hickeys, seem to "win". He touches on the reasons pubs are failing in Ireland.This book is not without its paddywhackery in places, but a great 2-day read all in all.