Pionta Guinness, le do thoil

Ol' Arthur comes to mind as I echo the words of many before me, "Pionta Guinness, le do thoil," and watch the black stuff, the wine of Ireland, fill the curved harp-etched glass.

The heavenly sound accompanying it is a real moment to behold, to be still and present in body and spirit—Mindfulness at its finest.

As I lean in to take in a hearty sniff of that delightful bitter aroma of more than 265 years of mastery, I am taken to a higher astral plane from the raised platform of the barstool.

Sláinte, one and all, you merry souls. As I lift the pint of the finest treacle-coloured tipple and press the rim to my lips, I take a thirst-quenching, balance-restoring, life-affirming swallow of water, barley, hops and yeast. Joyce wasn't lying when he sloganized, "The Free, The Flow, the frothy Freshener!"

Invigored and relaxed at the same time, I feel a renewed sense of vitality as the thick, smooth potation lines my oesophagus and belly. Transported I am to Dublin, as I taste the revelry and joy.

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Author's Notes: My favourite pint. I know, a Scot doing a poem about alcohol is a cliche and a national stereotype. I don't care. I stand by this.

For reference:

Arthur Guinness was the inventor of Guinness in 1759.

"Sláinte" is a Scottish and Irish Gaelic word that means "health" or "well-being". It is used as a drinking toast and is pronounced "slan-cha va". The accent on the "a" (called a fada) means that it's pronounced "aw" like in "claw".

"Pionta Guinness, le do thoil" means “a pint of Guinness, please” in Irish.

James Joyce, Irish wordsmith par excellence, was said to have submitted a new slogan for Guinness, "The Free, The Flow, the frothy Freshener!" but this has been proven to be false and is likely an advertising gimmick from Guinness to strengthen the connection to the drink to Joyce in 1982 when sales were down.

He did, apparently, though, refer to it as the "wine of Ireland".

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