It's not quite Paddy's Day but I'm all for random excuses to celebrate and get legless! 17:59 today marks the 250 year anniversary of our favourite old hobo's brew 'Guinness'.
A drink the whole island can be rightly proud of. So Billy from Ballybeen, put down that can of McEwan's lager, and raise a glass of the black stuff (no, not Buckfast!) to another of Ulster's finest. The Guinness family, though Protestants, claimed descent from the Magennis Gaelic Catholic clan of County Down in the 1600's.
So not only were they of the 'Orange' persuasion, they were from the beautiful county of Down! And who says Guinness always tastes nicer in Dublin?? What a load of Dog's Bollocks!!
If you're wondering why the celebration doesn't kick off until 17:59 - that marks the year Guinness was founded.
To coincide with the anniversary of this great Irish institution, Dublin's top venues and indeed some of the city's smallest pubs will be playing host to some of world’s biggest bands as Ireland marks 250 years since Arthur Guinness signed the lease on the St James’ Gate Brewery to create one of Ireland’s true icons.
Bands confirmed to be performing in Dublin tonight include Kasabian, Estelle, The Kooks, Razorlight, David Gray, Soul II Soul, The Blizzards, Sugababes, Jamie Cullum, The Enemy, Calvin Harris, The Undertones, Mongrel, The Wombats, Richard Hawley, David Holmes, Black Swan Effect, Imelda May, The Hot Rats, Reverend and the Makers and Republic of Loose.
Me? Well, I'll be serving those pints of Guinness at The Academy on Middle Abbey Street, just off O'Connell Street (the place where conveniently the Luas met a Dublin Bus last week!). We won't be the highlight of the celebrations that's for sure (the main event is at the Guinness storehouse) but it should make for a very special night regardless wherever you are in the city. I'm reliably informed Dublin's very own Imelda May headlines, along with The Kooks, Richard Hawley, Sharon Shannon, and the lovely ex-Neighbour Natalie Imbruglia! I know I know, I wanted Tom Jones in there too...
By the way, if you can't make it to Dublin for the festivities, be sure to flick over to Sky One for live coverage (it's ok to do this - the football was on last night).
250 years and still going strong.
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