Drinking in Boston: Happy Birthday Guinness!

Today is an special and important day for anyone who enjoys a good pour of Guinness. It is the 250th anniversary of the day Arthur Guinness signed the lease on the St. James’s Gate brewery in Dublin. 1759: that’s a lot of beer.

Celebration of the day now dubbed “Arthur’s Day” will naturally begin in Dublin but will spread across the world to cities as far flung as Lagos, Yaoundé, and Kuala Lumpur. More than sixty entertainers will perform in Dublin, and the shows will be simulcast in bars here. The list of bars participating in Arthur’s Day include:

Hennessey's Of Boston
Lansdowne Pub
Clerys
J.J. Foley Café
M.J. O’Connor’s (both locations)
The Times
Ned Devine’s Irish Pub
Durty Nelly's
Mr. Dooley's Boston Tavern
The Black Rose (Roisin Dubh)
Paddy O's

Part of Arthur’s Day includes The Guinness and Co. pledging six-million Euros to the Arthur Guinness Fund. The Fund was established with the goal “of enabling and empowering individuals with skills and opportunities to deliver a measured benefit to their communities.” They wish “to create opportunities for communities in several countries around the world, including providing skills for life and supporting social entrepreneurs.”

So raise your pint to Arthur Guinness, his beer, and his vision.

Photo courtesy puamelia on Flickr with Creative Commons License