Great Book on the lighter side of Ireland | Pint-Sized Ireland: In Search of the Perfect Guinness

I loved every word of this book! | Pint-Sized Ireland: In Search of the Perfect Guinness | Evan McHugh

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	• Pint-Sized Ireland: In Search of the Perfect Guinness Evan McHugh St. Martin's Griffin, 2008 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 8 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Perfect Pint, Perfect Book

The subtitle of this book tells you what this Irish travel book is all about. And that is what drew me to it.

Contents:
The first round
Dublin on tap
Beer and politics
Blood is thicker than Guinness
Love at first pint
Pub town
Heading north
The holy mountain
A land of pubs and poets
Last drinks

Australian, Evan McHugh, travels to Ireland to meet some friends. On the ferry over to Dublin from Wales, he and his travelling companion "Twidkiwodm" (the-woman-I-didn't-know-I-would-one-day-marry), aka Michelle, have their first Guinness. It was not a very good experience (but it sure was funny to read). Debarking, they are told that the Guinness served on the ferry is about the worst in the world. Their friends take them to a couple of pubs in Dublin, including the Guinness Factory Tour. Whilst sitting in a Dublin pub, they are told that the best Guinness is found on west side of Ireland. Off they go, looking for the best Guinness and the result is Pint Sized Ireland: In Search of the Perfect Guinness.

Travelling cheaply, hitchhiking and sleeping in hostels, McHugh provides a wonderful travelogue of Ireland. That he is looking for the "perfect Guinness" makes this even sweeter. Travelling from town to town, asking about the best Guinness, experiencing some of Ireland's best (but maybe not so well known) sites, and picking up books from local writers (Yeats is one). Interspersed throughout the book, McHugh includes words from the writers to explain some of his experiences. It adds a lot to the book.

This book really makes me want to visit Ireland. No matter where he goes, be it Dublin, Westport, Sligo, or Belfast, the people are friendly, kind, and humorous. At each stop, either the barman or someone in the pub tells McHugh where he can find the best pint of Guinness (hint: it is always somewhere else). It is in a pub in Belfast, his last stop, where a patron begins to tell him where he can find the best pint. Stopping the man, McHugh tells him where you can find the best Guinness in Ireland. He drank for free the rest of the evening. Yes, the answer was that good, that true. And after reading this book, I agree (if you ask, I will tell you where).

An excellent travelogue, especially if you love "moother's milk."

Slainte!

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Great Book on the lighter side of Ireland

This book was fun, interesting and very well written. To read a book about Ireland that does not have the troubles as its main subject matter is refreshing. The author does a great job of relating Irish culture to the reader. The author even goes as far as to write the peoples dialects into the book, so that when you are reading the book, you can get a sense of the softness of the language.

I would recommend this title to anyone that wants to learn a bit about Ireland. I would especially recommend this to all those of Irish decent.

I loved every word of this book!

Don't let the title fool you, this is more a book about a love of travel, exploration, Ireland and the woman he "didn't know would be his wife" than about Guiness. McHugh captured the places and the people of Ireland and revealed a good bit about himself in the process. I'm pretty sure he is the sort of person one would like to share a pint with.

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Touring Ireland looking for the perfect guinness

This book would appeal to the young person who has the time and a little money to tour Ireland staying at hostels and trying out pubs. It's a fun book to read and you do learn a little about Ireland too.

Don't forget your Guinness

Have yourself a Guinness while reading this book, it is a great pairing. The book is a smooth read and will inspire you to by the "mothers milk".
It's a craic in itself. luis

One man?s tour of Ireland on tap; a rollicking travelogue in the tradition of Round Ireland with a Fridge and McCarthy?s Bar.

?Regret? is the word that best describes Evan McHugh?s first taste of Guinness. For an Australian raised on Vegemite, Ireland?s black brew is very much an acquired taste. But the travel-writer is committed to acquiring it. Determined to discover exactly what makes a pint of Guinness so legendary, he crosses the Emerald Isle in search of his answers.
But in sampling pints as he goes, McHugh soon realizes that in each town, and at every pub, someone always says that the best glass of Guinness is to be found . . . . somewhere else.
In his comedic and sentimental journey, McHugh and his companion, Twidkiwodm (the-woman-he-didn?t-know-he-would-one-day-marry), hitch around Ireland, meeting unforgettable characters. He goes rowing with a German bagpiper on the lakes of Killarney, windsurfing with a one-armed man in Dingle, survives an encounter with poteen and even finds his own bar . . . but keeps searching for the perfect pint.
As entertaining as it is informative, Pint-Sized Ireland is both a hilarious travelogue and thoughtful diary. McHugh?s comedic voice swiftly moves in and out of pubs, peering into froth-rimmed pints, and leading readers to question: So does he ever find the perfect pot of black gold?
Those who have rested upon the barstools of Ireland, who have sought the famed ?perfect pint of Guinness,? realize that perfection rests in more than just the taste. McHugh captures the visceral experience of Guinness and Ireland in a warm memoir that?s perfect to savor. International Praise for Pint-Sized Ireland

?McHugh?s idea of traveling is one continuous pub crawl . . . an entertaining homage to the black brew.?
---The Age (Australia)

?McHugh?s writing style is intelligent, quirky, and conversational. The result is a consummately easy to read book, amusing and engaging. It?ll make you want to go in search of your own perfect pint.?
---Adventure Travel

?This is a lovely book, well written, full of humorous anecdotes and works both as a travelogue and as a guide to drinking in Ireland. One of the real joys of this book is the way that the author captures the nuances and syntax of the way the people speak (??Rooit?, said the pub-landlord, ?in ye coom??). After a few pages you find yourself falling into this yourself and by the time you finish the book you will have developed a full-blown Irish accent.?---www.bootsnall.com

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