The Importance of Story Telling in Ireland and in an Irish Pub

In Ireland, a seanachaí is a story teller. Ireland’s Celtic culture has been passed down from generation to generation through stories, prose and song with nothing written down.
One may say that Seanachaí ’s have the gift of the gab and have a passion for the art of storytelling; that they are indeed historians. One of the most well-known was Peig Sayers; an author and seanachaí.
The Irish people have a great appreciation for the ‘spoken word’ and Ireland has one of the richest folklore traditions in the world and Irish people know the importance of story telling in Ireland and in an Irish Pub. Seanachaí’s hold an important link to this Irish or Celtic Cultural heritage. Some Seanachaí’s, travelled from town to town to tell stories. They created a tradition of storytelling which continues to this day in Ireland.
The Irish Pub Company in partnership with Guinness Brewing Worldwide (now Diageo) carried out research all over Ireland to create the Irish Pub Concept, a phenomenon that the Irish Pub Company brought to the world. 
In our research we were influenced by seanachaí’s and their stories. We continue to tell the stories of Ireland through the design of our pubs; indeed the seanachaí fire-side gathering area is a design element in many of our pubs and the snug element in many Authentic Irish Pubs allows for an intimate space for groups to share tales and stories.
At the Irish Pub Company we love Irish Pubs, we love to design them, build them and visit them!
Mel McNally, CEO of the Irish Pub Company recalls a moment he experienced in an Irish Pub in the west of Ireland.
“We stopped into O’Donnells in Sligo, all good friends. A round of drinks included a creamy pint, I waited for it to settle and the head hung on until serviced. It brushed my lips, fussed my moustache and with a wipe of my wrist I utter ahh…”
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