Can you have a community without craic? Scholars of Ireland’s pubs warn of declining numbers | Ireland

L.Like triple-distilled whiskey, Irish pubs seem to have a timeless appeal. They are a staple setting in films, books and games, drawing tourists to Ireland, replicating themselves around the world and spurring social media searches for perfect comfort and the perfect pint.

Scholars have now given academic validation to this cultural treasure status by examining and celebrating pubs through the lenses of history, sociology, architecture, psychology, design, art and literature.

Two new books The Irish Pub: Invention and ReinventionAnd Dublin Pub: A Social and Cultural HistoryIt brims with footnotes, data and information as it analyzes what makes a “perfect pub” and the mysterious alchemy that produces the “craic.”

But in each case, the authors come to a sobering conclusion: Irish pubs are in trouble. They are disappearing from rural Ireland and many are struggling to survive in the capital.

“This feels like a transitional moment,” said Donal Fallon, author of The Dublin Pub. “Every Dubliner should drive through rural towns to see what’s going on. The pub has been destroyed.”

Perry Share, co-editor of The Irish Pub, a collection of articles by 20 writers, said some villages had lost all their pubs and new housing projects often did not include pubs. “Planners are not insisting on pubs being built. This could create problems for loneliness and community cohesion in the future.”

Ireland has lost a quarter of its pubs, more than 2,100, since 2005; It closed an average of 112 times a year. Reasons cited include high taxes on alcohol, drunk driving laws, rising real estate prices, and a decline in alcohol consumption.

Share, head of the faculty of social sciences and humanities at Atlantic Technological University, said it was a global phenomenon, with traditional pubs closing in Britain and much of Europe and Asia, but the risk was particularly high for Ireland.

“Our society is divided into different interest groups, so it is important for these places to interact across class and gender lines,” she said. “It’s okay to express emotion in a certain way at the bar and to hug and hug someone.”

Just over half the population lives within 300 meters of Ireland’s 7,000 remaining pubs, and according to Share, pubs continue to play a central role in the expression of Irish culture, as in novels by writers such as Sally Rooney and Paul Murray, TV shows such as Trespasses and Hollywood depictions of Ireland.

“Even if it declines, the pub is still part of the fabric of daily life. If it disappears, that’s a real loss. People talk about alternatives such as coffeehouses, but no one says they have much fun in a coffeehouse,” he said.

The Share volume, co-edited with Moonyoung Hong, professor of English at the University of Hong Kong, covers the evolution of taverns in the time of Jonathan Swift, the emergence of gay bars in the 20th century, and the export of Irish-themed bars from Nepal to Peru.

Don’t you have a home to go to on bars? An article by Kevin Martin, author of the previous volume titled. – identifies 10 elements for an ideal pub; these include “a great pint of Guinness at a reasonable price” and “enjoyable company when you need it, peace when you don’t”.

Social media influencers are searching for the “best” Irish pub on Instagram and other platforms, but Fallon, a social historian, said he was missing the point: “This respect for a handful of places, this ranking system, is often driven by aesthetics rather than any appreciation of what a pub is. Something doesn’t have to be the best to be important. It has to be part of the community. If you’ve had the worst day in your life, the nearest pub is probably the best pub.”

Fallon’s book uncovers colorful stories featuring the likes of American photographer Lee Miller, who photographed the Palace bar while on assignment in Dublin for Vogue in the 1940s, while also researching and toasting unsung, mundane suburban pubs.

Fallon states that the word pub originates from the tavern. “There’s a real warmth to the term. It implies a shared space and living space. It reflects the collective sense of what a pub is.”