Irish pubs can be found in every corner of the world. Most major capitals in the west will have at least a few. Even in South America and the Far East one can enjoy a pint of stout while listening to traditional Irish music. Are these bars opened to serve homesick Irish expatriates① living abroad？ With a population of about 4 million， Ireland could hardly provide enough expatriates to keep a fraction② of them up and running. It is owing to the reputation of Irish pubs， and Irish drinking culture in general， that they can be found wherever there are large communities of Americans and Europeans.
“Fun， music and drink”； this is a sign commonly seen on Irish pubs and it indicates the kind of atmosphere that these bars aim to create. The key to a successful bar is the atmosphere it exudes. Many of the Irish theme bars found abroad strive to recreate the ambience③ of bars in Ireland by playing Irish music and decorating the interiors with Irish paraphernalia④.
What is so special about Irish pubs？ Roughly speaking， there are two kinds of bars in Ireland. The most common bar is known as the local pub and it is this type that has influenced the theme bars found in foreign countries. The word “pub” stands for “public house” and that’s exactly what the local pub is. Every community in Ireland， both urban and rural， will have a few local pubs (Most areas have more than a few). Not unlike the teahouses of old Sichuan， the local pub acts as a recreation centre for the community.
During daylight one can eat lunch in a local pub， read a newspaper， chat with other customers and generally enjoy a respite⑤ from the daily grind. At night the bar will fill up with residents from the area ending their day by catching up on the local gossip， discussing politics and sport， and getting tipsy in the process. In many pubs， those who want privacy can find it in a snug. A snug is a little room blocked off from the rest of the bar by a wooden screen.
Needless to say， Ireland also has a wide array of trendy modern bars aimed at younger customers and these are mostly situated in city and town areas. Nonetheless， the more traditional bar is still going strong and continues to appeal to locals and foreigners alike. It is rooted in a drinking culture that has a long history.
In Ireland， whiskey has long been known as “the water of life” and throughout the centuries， bars have been places where marriages were arranged， business deals clinched⑥ and revolutions hatched⑦. Many of the bars themselves have long histories. There are a few bars in Ireland today that first started serving drinkers in the early 17th century.
As Chinese restaurants abroad differ significantly from restaurants in China， Irish pubs outside Ireland are very different to their counterparts ⑧ in Ireland. Some say that this is due to the management lacking the requisite⑨ Celtic spirit to be able to forge a real Irish bar. The fact that many Irish theme bars are run by Irish people discounts that theory. More than likely， it is because the customers an Irish bar aims for are not actually Irish.
The bar has to appeal to foreign perceptions of what an Irish bar should be. Regardless of which， Irish theme bars are lucrative⑩ businesses that are very popular with drinkers from a wide range of cultures.
① expatriaten. 移居国外者
② fractionn.小部分，片断，分数
③ ambiencen. 周围环境，气氛，格调
④ paraphernalian. 随身用具；设备，器材
⑤ respiten. 暂时的休息
⑥ clinchv. 使得到最后解决
⑦ hatchv. 策划；孵出
⑧ counterpart n. 副本，极相似的人或物，配对物
⑨ requisiteadj. 需要的，必不可少的 n. 必需品
⑩ lucrativeadj. 赚钱的，有利可图的
爱尔兰酒馆
你可以在世界的每个角落里寻觅到爱尔兰酒馆的身影。在大多数知名的西方首府城市里，至少都会有几家这样的酒馆。甚至在南美洲和远东地区，人们也可以一边欣赏爱尔兰传统音乐一边享用着黑啤酒。这些酒吧是用来招待那些移居海外思乡心切的爱尔兰人吗？爱尔兰的人口只有400万，不可能有那么多移民来光顾多如牛毛的海外酒吧！总体来讲，正是由于爱尔兰酒馆和爱尔兰酒文化名声在外，人们才会在任何美国人和欧洲人聚居的大型社区找到爱尔兰酒馆的身影。
“快乐、音乐和美酒”：这就是爱尔兰酒馆常见的招牌文字，它表明了这类酒吧力图营造的气氛类型。酒吧成功的关键就在于它所营造出的氛围。在很多海外爱尔兰主题酒吧中，都会演奏爱尔兰音乐并用具有爱尔兰特色的物品来进行内部装饰，以便再现这种气氛。
爱尔兰酒馆究竟有什么特别之处呢？总的来说，爱尔兰的酒吧分为两种。最常见的酒吧就是本地酒馆，对海外主题酒吧影响颇大的酒吧就是这一类型。单词“pub”代表着“public house”（公共场所），而这正是本地酒馆的内涵所在。爱尔兰的每个社区，无论是在城市还是在乡村，都会有几家本地酒馆。（而大部分地区可不止仅有几家）。爱尔兰的本地酒馆与四川省过去的茶馆不同，它们扮演的是社区娱乐中心的角色。
白天，人们可以在本地酒馆里享用午餐、阅读报纸、与其他客人闲聊，总的来说是在忙里偷闲、放松自己。到了晚上，酒馆里就会挤满结束一天工作的当地居民，他们打听着当地的八卦新闻，讨论着政治和体育，并随着时间的流逝而喝得酩酊大醉。很多酒馆还为那些不愿受别人打扰的人设置了雅座单间。雅座单间是一个小房间，一扇木制屏风把它与酒吧其他区域分隔开来。
不用说，爱尔兰也有一系列以年轻人为目标顾客群的时尚现代酒吧，它们主要位于城镇地区。虽然如此，更为传统的酒吧也在蓬勃发展着，继续吸引着当地居民和外国人。这类酒吧植根于历史悠久的酒文化。
在爱尔兰，威士忌一直以来被看作是“生命之水”，而且数百年来，酒吧一直都是举行婚礼、达成交易、孕育革命的地方。很多酒吧本身就拥有悠久的历史。如今在爱尔兰，有一些酒吧的历史就要追溯到17世纪。
正如海外的中国餐馆与中国国内的餐馆相去甚远一样，海外的爱尔兰酒馆与爱尔兰本土的酒馆也是截然不同的。一些人说，这是因为酒吧在管理上缺少经营真正爱尔兰酒吧所必需的凯尔特人精神。可大多数爱尔兰主题酒吧就是由爱尔兰人经营的，这一事实便反驳了以上的这个理论。很有可能的是，那是因为这些爱尔兰酒吧的营业对象并不是针对真正的爱尔兰人。
外国人对真正爱尔兰酒吧的样子有其自己的认识，而这些酒吧就必须去迎合这种认识。无论是哪种原因，爱尔兰主题酒吧的经营是利润可观的，在各种文化背景的人当中都广受欢迎。
