For those of us staggering to find an Irish pub on St. Patrick’s Day, chances are we’re not looking for the real deal. Sure, we all like to get a little goose from Irish culture on March 17^th (in return for theannually permissible sexual demands of a T-shirt).  But the kind of “Irish” we tend to look for on a “green-or-bust” type of ethnic celebration day isn’t what you’d find in Ireland. Not in a pub, anyway.

The thing of it is, most American Irish pubs are a bit, well, loud. Loud about being Irish, loud about pouring Guinness, and just plain loud. Irish Irish pubs, on the other hand, tend to be more like community gathering places. We’re not trying to suggest Irish town bars are like constant PTA meetings with just incidental beer. But they have historically been places where townspeople could meet up, casually and intermittently, and talk. Possibly over a pint. (Remember that study that saidpeople who hit up the local pub are happier and healthier?)