Bars Vs. Pubs

Going to the pub is a very typical and social thing for every person who live in Ireland. It isn’t like in America where you only go to the pub at night when you are simply just trying to get drunk with your friends and have a good time. Throughout my visit here in Ireland I have seen first hand the differences in the bar life between America and Ireland. Getting drunk is not the purpose of going to the bar here in Ireland. It’s a social event where people gather to converse and discuss any rang of topics. I have often seen people in the pubs alone simply reading a newspaper, watching the television, or just enjoying a nice Guinness before returning home for the night. The pubs in Ireland are more centered around having a good time with friends watching whatever sporting event is on at the moment where in America the objective more to just get drunk. An Irish pub is more of the equivalent to a Starbucks in the United States where people come in jut to enjoy being around people while having a drink or some food. It was very obvious that we were from the states when you enter a pub and immediately go through three or four pints in an hour when the local will go through maybe one. The fact that we are so easily pointed out raises their interest and they begin simply talking to you trying to learn about what life is like in America. I have met so many people while on this trip just from sitting next to them at a bar.