I dont think people really care about the man or his views. Its an hour of the day to have a laugh with your friends (thats if you have any) and be happy.

Don’t forget he was suspected of informing on the United Irishmen. Guinness gave the British Army metal tanks/vats in 1916 which they converted to armoured personnel carriers so they could travel around the city. The first Catholic manager of Guinness was only in the 1960’s. Its hilarious when people think of Guinness as the bastion of Irishness.

But david i hear what you are saying but do we really need a corporate business ploy so that we can enjoy ourselves. We don’t need guinness to have a laugh.

In all fairness Chris, they are the ones bringing in the big artists to create an atmosphere in the locals. The way I look at it is that it’s a win win for both Guinness and pub goers.

If “this guy” is Arthur he did a fair job calling for the executions of the 1916 leaders from a cold grave… :)
But you are right Guinness is and has for a long time been an anti Irish company

Ha. It’s a Guinness packet left on the ground. You’ll be able to see it clearly on the upcoming iPhone 6…

Lol I hope so.

Have to keep this short because my battery on my new iPhone 5 is about to die already but myself didn’t head out but seems like it was a harmless fun night. Primal Scream would of been class.

@ SEan ORegan I have shared this post elsewhere. Hope that is ok? Couldn’t agree more with you. Well said and well written.

I live in the USA and Guinness is just Guinness but come Irish in March, around Saint Patrick’s Day, it’s Irish.

Too bad that the majority of Irish can’t see that they are helping Diageo sell their product by posing for pictures on a fabricated “Holiday?” with said product held aloft. Who really cares if Arthur was Irish or Englsih or Protestant or Catholic. The big deal here is that the Irish who celebrate this “Arthur’s Day” are cogs in the wheel.

Diageo’s guys fly to ????? SCOTLAND every february/March to distribute trophies/ awards/prizes to their best workers. They play on Saint Andrew’s golf course and stay at a five star castle hotel. So, well done Diageo. And well done to all those who helped finance that trip. (The trophies/awards couldn’t be handed out at Head Quarters in USA? It’s cheaper to fly the workers and their wives over to Scotland for this?)

How about that for a Rant!?

See Alan, this is not a holiday about being Irish. It is about Diageo pushing their products. I have no problem with having a pint or a glass of whatever, but I do have a problem with the image of Irish people protesting austerity by drinking. And Diageo is a marketing genious. I’ll give them that.

I worked for two separate Diageo brands so I know all about them. What has austerity got to do with anything? You seem to want the whole social life of the country grind to a halt because of it. Should they cancel the All Ireland on Sunday too in case people enjoy themselves? The Irish people don’t care about austerity enough to protest about it. They will whine and moan on websites like this and in the pub but when it comes down to it they wont put their feet on the street. Look at Greece or Spain and then look at our pathetic response as examples.

@ I absolutely agree that there should be a release too from this talk of austerity and recession.

And cheers for this “The Irish people don’t care about austerity enough to protest about it. They will whine and moan on websites like this and in the pub but when it comes down to it they wont put their feet on the street. Look at Greece or Spain and then look at our pathetic response as examples.”

By all means have fun. I immigrated 20 years ago, so this is an outsider’s perspective based on what relatives in Ireland are saying and what I see in the papaers and on the news.

We have a tradition of Irish writers, singers, dancers, playwrights and poets, but the news always resorts to the Irish as drinkers, and that bothers me. As I said before, there’s ay more to the Irish than Guinness. We have more substance, creativity, intelligence, and talent than that.

Not everyone loaded themselves up with debt. There is still plenty of money in the country.

Irish people are buy an Irish product in their local Irish bars. Where is the problem?

A lot of people were employed last night, including bar staff and taxi drivers who otherwise wouldn’t have been. It is no more made up than Valentines day or Mother’s day. Participation is optional.

To each his own. I just wish we’d get away from this image of the Irish with pints in their hands in a pub. There’s more to Ireland than that.

@David
But its not an Irish product – its an English company selling a global brand – if you really want to drink Irish beer choose a good craft brew.

Why?

Why??
Would you not think we have enough poor Alcoholics in our Country,Instead we are Celebrating a man that has
caused so much Hardship and broken holmes with his Product and he’s not the only one.

Vote with your feet – or rather your arm and mouth Stop drinking Guinness

Hi Richard, You do a lot for Irish Tourism, You would make a good ambassador.

Did anyone ask what was the nature of their work ? Give it a few weeks and you might be a star in the Arab world for all the wrong reasons !

Get a room you two.

@Richard. Glad you got a day off from solving the customers problems. Much deserved in mtg opinion.

My opinion

Considering alcohol is illegal in Saudi, they may just paint you all black.

Dreadful marketing ploy that shows us in a very poor light confirming the ” drunken Paddy” image we’re trying to get away from. Only in Ireland would we allow a marketing gimmick to be talked about on the media as if it is a national day of celebration, and only here would we have a national piss- up in celebration of drink….

agreed John but open your mouth now and you’ll be called “negative”. Negative is the amount of people who die in this country because drink is glamorised like this. Its killing thousands in this country. I’d rather weed was legalised.

@John O’Neill Three Cheers! Well said.

Agree John. The amount of puke on Friday morning was disgusting.

@David Kearney. Spot on! WE made the Diageo guys richer.

Also no pictures of goats The journals anti-ungulate bias knows no bounds.