House of Guinness & Philanthropy

I would wish a great lake of ale for the King of Kings;

I would wish the family of heaven to be drinking it throughout life and time. I would wish the men of Heaven in my own house; I would wish vessels of peace to be given to them. I would wish joy to be in their drinking; I would wish Jesu to be here among them. I would wish the three Marys of great name; I would wish the people of heaven from every side.

 Olay, this is a prayer attributed to St. Brigid of Ireland, not St. Patrick, but she is one of the three patron saints of the Emerald Isle and we know that plenty of beer will be flowing on this St. Patrick's Day. I do enjoy a nice craft beer but I've never been much of a drinker and even less so as the years pass. A lake of ale would create problems for me I won't go into here.

There is definitely a long tradition of imbibing in Ireland and the Guinness brand is certainly a part it, going back to the 18th century.We have been watching, with a bit of eye-rolling, the imagined shenanigans of this clan in the series House of Guinnness. While it seem to be something of a Peaky Blinders wannabe it has its moments. 

The writers have chosen to include the family's progressive philanthropic efforts in the 19th century which impacted Dublin's and even rural Ireland's social landscape into the 20th century. They financed numerous hospitals, housing projects, and educational institutions, leading to transformative effects on the city’s social fabric. They created what we might call social housing for workers and the poor. 

I have snooped around trying to find out who were the motivators in this staunchly Protestant  family for their enlightened outlook and whether religious convictions were involved but I haven't been successful. 

I'm sure the blessing of all three saints is upon their charitable legacy whatever else they got up to.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you, and bottoms up, perhaps a stout!