Intoxicated Exiles?: Irish Drinking in Memoir, Fiction and Ballads since the 1950s

Alice Mauger, Assistant Professor of Modern Irish Social History at University College Dublin, Ireland

Charbonnel Lounge, 81 St Mary Street, Toronto ON M5S 1J4

Oh the craic was good in Cricklewood and they wouldn’t leave the Crown
With glasses flying and Biddies crying sure Paddy was going to town
Oh mother dear I’m over here and I’m never coming back
What keeps me here: the rake of beer, the ladies and the craic
– “McAlpine’s Fusiliers”

This talk explores cultural portrayals of Irish drinking since the 1950s. It focuses on literary works by the first and second-generation Irish, alongside the lyrics of popular Irish ballads, and it sheds light on the experiences of an ethnic community whose drinking practices have elicited intense scrutiny. What emerges is the variety of roles both drinking and drinking spaces played for those seeking work, lodging, culture and camaraderie, all while grappling with a sustained self-consciousness about the hard-drinking Irish label.

Alice Mauger is an Assistant Professor of Modern Irish Social History at University College Dublin, Ireland. She teaches and researches the history of alcohol, drugs and psychiatry from the 1800s to present day and is currently leading a major research project DIASPORA: Deciphering Irish Alcohol and Substance Use – Postwar Representations and Accounts. 

Please RSVP.