A Pint of Plain by Bill Barich

A Pint of Plain by Bill Barich

A Pint of Plain is a quest to chronicle the state of the Irish pub today, and thereby to examine Irish culture at a time of great change. When the American writer 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 portrayed in Ireland's literature and such iconic movies as The Quiet Man. That suggested something deeper was at play - a shift in the country's values and identity. As Barich roamed from hectic urban pubs to their dwindling rural counterparts, he met an array of extraordinary characters whose lives are bound up in the trade. He blends the history of Guinness into his account, and also explores the impact of the firms that export 'authentic' Irish pubs around the world. A Pint of Plain will be irresistible to anyone who has been touched by Ireland and cares about its future.

'Long ago, I figured out that I would simply read whatever Bill Barich writesHere, with a sweet eye for detail and in a tone of genial longing, Barich's miscellany of the Irish grogosphere voices a reluctant farewell to the old Ireland, as the new Ireland hastily enters the great global mall culture beyond the seas' Richard Ford 'Bill Barich gets to the heart of the Irish pub, but he also gets to the soul of contemporary Ireland. At times it's through the glass darkly - as well it should be - and this book is never without wit or style or charm. Barich has got to be one of the most writerly pub-goers around' Colum McCann

Bill Barich has written for The New Yorker and other publications for many years. He is the author of the classic Laughing in the Hills, as well as Crazy for Rivers, Carson Valley, and most recently A Fine Place to Daydream: Racehorses, Romance, and the Irish. He lives in Dublin.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781408801413
ISBN 10	1408801418
Title	A Pint of Plain
Author	Bill Barich
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Year published	2009-04-20
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable