When writer Bill Barich moved to Dublin, he set out first thing to find the local pub, which he hoped would be magically Irish. In A Pint of Plain, he reveals that that experience is getting tougher to come by in Ireland.
A stop at the pub is still part of Irish culture, as 85% of Irish people still make the trip once a month. But the traditional Irish music one might expect with one's pint is much less prominent than it used to be.
The big business, now, is the exportation of the Irish pub experience as a commodity. The Irish Pub Company has built approximately 500 "authentic" pubs in 45 countries.
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