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Holy Guinness!

Posted by Lewis on April 29, 2004

In Reply to: Holy Guinness! posted by ESC on April 27, 2004

: : Diageo (sp?), the company that owns the Guinness breweries, announced recently that it is closing its London brewery and transfering production back to the original brewery at St. James' Gate in Dublin. In Dublinese, "James' Gate" is pronounced 'jaym-zes gate'

: : St. James' Gate was the portal through which Irish pilgrims boarded ship on their pilgrimage to Compostella in Spain, the reputed repository of the remains of St. James the Apostle.

: : Not many know that!

: I know I certainly didn't. That all makes me thirsty.

The Guinness Storehouse is apparently the No.1 tourist attraction in Ireland. I went last year and it was the most impressive self-guided brewery tour that I have been on.

Also - that James pronounced Jamis also applies to Jamesons that brand of liquor that is triple-distilled 'to be sure, to be sure, to be sure'.
Asking for a Jamesons - you should say that a "Jammy-sons" would lubricate your throat.

[St James patronage of Spain was well dealt with in one of the early Sharpe books by Bernard Cornwell.]

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