I like to checkout different Irish websites it can be fun to figure out who or what is behind them. Seems my favorite sites lately are authored by Irish women and are very genuine and of course interesting. But i’m straying from topic, some of the other sites like to glom on to the intricacies of the Irish rounds system in the pubs. Buying a round isn’t brain surgery, and if you are not the cheapest sob on the planet I’m sure you have bought your fair share. The concept of being accepted into a group by offering you a libation is what hangs most of us tourist out to dry. We misinterpret the good natured invitation to a group as a prize for being a tourist. The excitement of being in places you only have read about and maybe hyped up a bit at the local tourism bureau, can give you a false sense of belonging. There’s also that difference in cultural habits, In the States the rounds are usually with close friends, If someone is new or you buy a drink for some one you are just chatting with ,there is no obligation. So when you travel to Ireland and are  asked “what you drink in” it makes you feel quite welcome, and aren’t these fellows awful charitable to be buying me a drink, what a welcome.

So to be prepared, if you are going to accept a drink from a jovial group in an Irish pub, be prepared to reciprocate. It’s like being a boy scout only with beer in a pub. If you are not able or willing to buy a round for a large group you can just say so, politely, “no just havin one, thanks”.

I’ll have to say that most times I’ve been in a pub by myself, most groups you will be in are small. The best chats in the world have been in small out the way pubs, buying a round or two, with some interesting characters.

Just remember when in Rome do as Romans do, So when in Ireland If a group buys you a drink buy them one back, then you’ll be one of the boys, almost.

Cheers