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Since the mid-1990s, Ireland was one of the world's fastest growing economies. And this tiny island country served as an effective illustration of how a integreated european ecoomy could help smaller nations experience unprecented growth. But who cares about that, especially these days. What we do care about, is the fact that St. Patricks day is almost here and we all get a hall pass to do whatever we want. We should, however, take a moment to reflect on why it is we love Ireland. Below are a few examples of the best of what Ireland has to offer:

Guiness

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Who doesn’t love this beer? Even if you don’t normally like stouts, if you want to call yourself a man, it is suggested that you learn to love this nectar of the gods. Note: it's not a good idea to order a Corona Lite on Saint Patrick's Day.

Shane McGowan and the Pogues

To see The Pogues is to love The Pogues. This Irish punk/folk band has a rotten-mouthed, constantly-inebriated front man in Shane McGowan, who is both a poet and a charmer. From getting kicked out of the band for falling out of a train, to doing a duet of “What A Wonderful World”, with Nick Cave his persona is the epitome of what so many cheesy, fake (US-based) Irish punk bands have attempted to emulate.


U2 – But Before Bono was a complete prick

Remember when U2 released "Joshua Tree" in 1987? No one else does either, but that doesn’t stop one from listening to this great album from one of the biggest bands of all time. But the decade of 1990 to 2000 was pretty much a wash for this band, hallmarked with Bono' super-douche alter ego, “The Fly”. They have had success since then, and even though Bono is regarded as a hack these days, we can't deny the genius of his early career.

Irish Whiskey

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Ireland is perhaps best known for its whiskey, and not without good reason. Originally known as “Uisce Beatha”, or “Water of Life”, the first documented record of whiskey consumption was in 1405 in Ireland. Since then it has been (to quote Homer Simpson), “the source of and solution to all of life’s problems” for Irishmen and fiends everywhere, for over five centuries.

Ryan Air

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Who cares if everyone is drinking, smoking and puking all over these rickety planes, which are basically school buses on wheels. The fact of the matter is that Ryan Air revolutionized cheap air fare in Europe. Where else can you get a ticket from England to Poland for 1P? Nowhere, that’s right - nowhere. And for Americans abroad, especially in this economy, this is quite amazing.
 

James Joyce

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James Joyce was a great author. His semi-autobiographical A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Dubliners, should be required reading for everyone. Ulysses however, reminds us why we should not drink heavily and try to write epic novels. Regardless of individuals' literary tastes, no one can deny that the man was known throughout Europe at the time as a hard-drinking bad ass writer – think, 'the Shane McGowan of the modernist era.'

Thin Lizzy

Thin Lizzy is probably best known for their hit “The Boys are Back in Town”.  They are also known amongst music nerds as the first hard rock band to implement double lead guitars, and were recently ranked #51 on VH1’s Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. Most people don’t know that Thin Lizzy is Irish, or that they were the band that plays this hit (most people think its Springsteen or Seger strangely). This band deserves a place on this list simply because most readers have probably yelled this song drunkenly probably over 100 times at various dive bars.


Van Morrison (before he was a prick)

Van Morrison consistently ranks near the top all time lists of “Best Vocalists” or “Best Singer/Songwriter”, and is widely referred to as one of the most influential Irish musicians of all time. Hits include, “Brown Eyed Girl”, “Moondance”, “Caravan” and a bunch of others. Then Van Morrison had to go off and be a prick, and  super-impose his monogram logo on top of his YouTube clips.


Daniel Day Lewis

Daniel Day Lewis is one of the best actors alive. His performances in Gangs of New York, and There Will Be Blood were not only exceptional in their own right, but they are impressive because they were preceded  a decade of seclusions by Lewis. During this time, he lived in Italy where he traded acting lessons for an apprenticeship as a cobbler. “I will drink your milkshake!”

Lynn Kelley

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Miss Ireland 2008. No explanation needed.

Laurena Lacey

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2008 Playboy Playmate. No explanation needed.

Saint Patricks Day

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Hey, we know that St. Patricks Day is more of an American Holiday than an Irish Holiday, and blah blah, but who isn’t thrilled with having an excuse to get annihilated on a Tuesday night in the middle of March? And best of all, when you show up to work the next morning 3 hours late and still drunk, your boss will probably understand.  Chances are, he was out drinking too. If not, use the phrase, “Hey, I’m Irish” – even if you are from Arkansas – and maybe he’ll understand.

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