Dan

I visited Kilkenny and Carlow counties last year. I was looking forward to sitting in traditional Irish pubs. Oddly enough, the pubs, even though they looked old on the outside, were decorated like 80's American cocktail longes. Even stranger, the Guiness was served cold, something about new purification laws, and a lot of Irish were drinking big cans of Budweiser. I saw a lot more Budweiser than Harp. Was it just the area I was in, or are pubs like this everywhere? Many cities in America are importing Irish pubs and rebuilding them here with the tradition old wood look. I didn't see too many bars like this in Ireland. Have we bought them all or something?

xxx

You must have been hanging out in more commercialized areas. I went to a number of pubs in Ireland that had an old, cozy look. While a few places offered cold Guiness, a number of them were serving it warm for the locals. Sometimes you need to leave the areas near the hotels and wander to some side streets for the pubs where locals hang out at night.

Philip

This past November I went to London and I saw a pub that had a sign on the door that said "No work clothes or heavy boots". What is going on in the U.K?

xxx

If you're ever in Dublin, you might want to try the Porterhouse. WONDERFUL porter...mmmm..better than Guinness

Danna

We had a great time in a Cavan guesthouse diner listening to a group of men on dinner break playing the spoons and tapping their feet to traditional music, then went next door to a pub with the tiniest and oldest barmaid in the world... had a grand time in a Dublin pub where I think we were the only tourists, and folks sang along to the songs.... and the pre-Halloween dance in Donegal was a trip too! It can happen, just keep looking, and drinking!

kate

For Philip.... this sign is often used by pubs when there is a construction site nearby, a common thing in London, and it means no builders/decorators in dirty clothing and big soiled boots (as it would obviously mess up the seating etc). It doesn't mean workers aren't allowed. As long as your clothes are clean, you're fine. Is that so unreasonable.

Philip

Thanks for clearing that up Kate. I thought they had gotten so high-class that they weren't letting in any working class type people. Sort of like the "no collar no service" rule in the U.S.

Tim

Dan--Guiness is not normally served warm. Yes, it used to be served a bit warmer than it is now typically served. But most good pubs offer the "cold flow" variety along with the stuff that's just a bit warmer.<BR><BR>There are a gazillion traditional pubs in Kilkenny. I was there a few months ago, and all you have to do it stumble from one to the next. Not quite sure how you missed them.<BR><BR>Budweiser is one of the most, if not the most, popular beer in Ireland. However, it is brewed by Guiness for Ireland and the U.K. over there, and is markedly different from the Bud you get here in the States. To begin with, it's not as carbonated, so it's obviously a much smoother beer.<BR><BR>Harp is just an average run-of-the-mill beers in Ireland. It's kind of like Bud here in the U.S.<BR><BR>