The Origins of a pint of Guinness. Graham Kearns

A number of friends meet at the Howick Club on a Friday night for a tipple and a chat. Some go because of the Guinness opportunity and others go just for the comradery and their own favourite beverage. So, I thought it would be educational if we learned the history of this porter stout.

 

 

When things go wrong and will not come right,
Though you do the best you can,
When life looks black as the hour of night 
A pint of plain is your only man.
 

This “pint of plain”, or pint of Guinness, takes 119.5 seconds to settle once poured, so I’ll aim to make this homily short enough for you to read inside that time!
 

 

In 1725, a descendant of the McGuinness clan was born in the village of Celbridge in County Kildare. His name was Arthur Guinness. While he was born into modest circumstances, he was taught to read, write and given the basics of arithmetic through his education. He also appeared to have what we now call “an entrepreneurial head” on his shoulders.

Arthur founded a brewery on the banks of the River Liffey in the nearby town of Leixlip. He started by brewing a brown ale which was popular at the time. However, he took the opportunity to move further down the River Liffey to St. James’s Gate in the city of Dublin in 1759. Shortly after, Arthur noticed the popularity of a dark beer called “Porter” (so named because it was a popular drink with city porters) and he decided to start brewing porter alongside his ales.

THE FIRST PINT OF GUINNESS IS POURED.
The first batch of Guinness porter was brewed in 1778. Before long, his “stout porter” outsold his ale by five times. Very soon it became the single focus of his brewery. This change coincided with a change in import tax laws which allowed Guinness to export his porter to England where it quickly became successful. Guinness was on the road to becoming the success story we know today.

Arthur Guinness died in 1803 in Dublin. I believe that he would have been very surprised at the extent to which Guinness has become synonymous with Ireland in the minds of so many people. In fact, a pint of Guinness has become the “one choice” for many who wander into any Irish pub around the world. Well, here we are 119.5 seconds after you started this letter and hopefully you learned a bit of Irish now!

(Compiled with the help of “A Letter from Ireland” by Graham Kearns of Irish, Viking, English & French descent!) 

Why Does It Still Hurt? by Paul Biegler- how the power of knowledge can overcome chronic pain. Bill Duncan 

 

Chronic pain is said to be the single biggest cause of human suffering. Yet pain that persists for three months or more is often unrelated to any physical injury.

 

Paul Biegler’s 2023 book, is proving to be a best seller for those who have experienced chronic pain or know of someone has or is suffering from this debilitating disease.

 

Having been treating such pain for over a decade following a knee replacement and having watched a close family member similarly suffer following an outdoor adventure episode, I would recommend this book to anyone who has experienced an event leading to such an extended period of pain.

 

Research over decades demonstrates to sufferers and practitioners alike that they may be victims of a devilish trick of the nervous system.