Pub etiquette in Ireland?

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**whembly**

o.O

Is this accurate? I don't wanna be a scab...

This is very important, very.

The only thing I’ve noticed that visitors to Ireland of partying age get wrong, consistently, is the ’rounds’ system in a Pub.
If you are in a pub and drinking with anyone, stranger, friend, classmate, workmate it doesn’t matter and you are about to order a drink, it is extremely rude not to offer to buy your companions a drink too. This is not some trick, you’ll notice immediately that people will offer to get you a drink when you are out with them. They are not being super nice and friendly to a visitor, they are doing it under the implicit agreement that you will buy the next drink for them.

If the group is too big it will generally break up into smaller rounds, generally appropriately sized to the amount of drinks the group is expecting to have that night. If there are 10 people out it will likely break up into approximately 2 to 3 rounds, based on who arrived when, and who has finished their drink faster. When you find yourself in a round, stick with it. Don’t start buying drinks for someone in another round and you must refuse an offer of a drink if the person doing the offering is not in your round. All you need to say is ‘No thanks, I’m grand, I’m in a round with Mary and Paul already’. If you accept the drink you will have joined their round and you’ll need to ‘clear your account’ in the first round by buying a round before you leave it. It’s easier to stick with your original round throughout the night, though it is acceptable to change rounds if the venue changes during a pub crawl, but only after attempting to reform your original round in the new pub and failing for some reason.

It’s quite ok to come out behind or ahead on a round when the night finishes, you might find you’ve bought 8 pints but only drank 7, or bought 8 and drank 9. That’s ok, these things even out, if you’ve made a genuine effort to buy a round before the night ends then no one will hold it against you that you’ve had a free drink that night. It all evens out in the end.

You will be despised if you make no effort to get your own round in. Many foreigners think that the Irish are being super generous by offering them drinks every time they go to the bar themselves. As above, there is an expectation of reciprocation attached to that offer, if you do not reciprocate, you can expect things to turn sour, fast. The best case scenario is that people will talk about you behind your back, not invite you out on a night out and be disappointed if you turn up to meet them. Worst case is probably that you’re called out on it, or ditched during the night.
So to sum up in a few simple rules:

1) On entering a pub to meet friends try to join a round as soon as possible. It is as simple as saying: ‘I’m off to the bar, who needs a drink?’ If two or three people say yeah, then that’s your round.

2) If someone offers to buy you a drink and you accept you are now in a round with them and also anyone else who was in the round with them when you accepted the drink, this is crucial to remember. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

3) Remember the ordering of the round, if person A buys first, followed by person B and then you, that is the order in which rounds must be bought for the rest of the night. Keep track of this, someone might offer to buy the next round on your turn because they have finished their drink but you still have some left. Don’t let them, insist on buying your round, they are only asking politely for you to get a move on, they are not genuinely keen on buying a round out of turn.

4) If you feel like you can’t go another full cycle it is acceptable to exit the round on an even turn (i.e. when you have bought as much as you have drank) by declining a further round with the words: ‘No it’s ok, thanks, I’m only going to have one more so I’ll get it myself’. Likely the person will insist on buying you the drink anyway, and it’s ok to accept if you have made a genuine effort to buy your own drink. Tell them ‘Ah thanks, I’ll get you back the next night’.

5) Don’t get into more than one round at the same time. Refuse the offer of a drink from anyone who is not in your round. Tell the person you are in a round and they’ll understand.

6) Do not get yourself a reputation for being a ‘scab’ or being ‘scabby’. Avoid this by being generous and always making a genuine effort to buy as much drink as you consume.

7) Try to make your drink of similar monetary value to those of your companions in the round. If they are drinking pints of guinness don’t ask for a double 18 year old single malt whiskey.

8) Keep the round order intact for as long as anyone is present and can still speak.

9) Be timely with your round, don’t leave a companion with an empty glass when it’s your turn to get the round. Try to match your drinking pace with them. If you are too slow then switch to half pints or be prepared to have full pints queued up in front of you. If you are drinking halves and they are drinking pints that’s your choice and is tough on you, you’ll end up paying for more drink than you consume. If you point out that they are saving money on buying you halves you will be deemed a scab.

10) Always, always, always make a genuine effort to ‘settle your account’ buy buying as much drink for others as is bought for you. Some days you’ll be ahead, some behind, but Irish people take the attitude that it all evens out over a lifetime anyway, so feth it.

I hope this helps you settle in, there’s nothing worse than being out with some prick who thinks you’re a great guy for buying them drinks all night without putting their own hand in their pocket.

**SoloFalcon1138**

sounds right. Also, if you are going this weekend, it would probably be a good thing to refrain from being too excited about St Patrick's Day, its more of an American "let's drink" holiday.

**MeanGreenStompa**

Also in the UK in general, as we don't tend to have waitress/waiter service in our drinking holes and you order from the bar, we tend to do the paying in rounds according to the person who's up next to go to the bar.

**Dreadclaw69**

As an authentic Irish person I can confirm that the article is pretty much spot on

SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
sounds right. Also, if you are going this weekend, it would probably be a good thing to refrain from being too excited about St Patrick's Day, its more of an American "let's drink" holiday.

Its a lets drink holiday regardless of where you are

**marv335**

Applies in Scotland as well.

Nothing leads to social pariah status faster than not getting your round in.

**MeanGreenStompa**

Everyone hates a standback...

**Alfndrate**

MeanGreenStompa wrote:
Everyone hates a standback...

That's why I don't go to the bar very often anymore, can't afford to buy rounds, also I tend to decline when someone offers to buy me a round as a courtesy...

**notprop**

There's also the concept of a "whip". As in whip around.

This will usually happen when ther are lots of people out rather than splitting the group into sets of 3 or whatever the article said. Everyone will put a set amount of cash in, say £20 and you will all get the drinks in together.

This can be more of a stag do thing but we do it most Saturdays at the rugby club. It keeps the drinks flowing without havin to wait for every last man jack in the round to finish his pint.

You can't get your money back out of the whip, well you can but you might look like a tightarse. If you are a light weight or get lucky and slope off early then bad luck.

If you are on a round get them in early, my experience with drinking with Yanks over here is that you may well be bought plently of drinks and get really pissed. If you are worried about etiquette the get the second drink in before you are in no state to buy one.

**whembly**

Woah... what bar is this?

Is it enough? Nah... need moar!

**Bangbangboom**

Jesus, who needs written instructions on drinking in a group?

**Hlaine Larkin mk2**

Bangbangboom wrote:
Jesus, who needs written instructions on drinking in a group?

That's what I was thinking when reading the article, do you not do rounds in the US?

**Bullockist**

Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote:
Bangbangboom wrote:
Jesus, who needs written instructions on drinking in a group?

That's what I was thinking when reading the article, do you not do rounds in the US?

I had a group of mates who banned women from rounds solely for the reason of them ordering expensive drinks. I think a few of the women thought we were excluding them for being female, but it was just the fact that 2 of their drinks cost the same as the rest of the round.
These rules should be stickied.

**Spyral**

It's a stupid system. If I offer anyone a drink if one person wants it I can get it for them, if more want it I take orders + money.

Rounds are silly especially if you don't drink alcohol that much.

**mega_bassist**

Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote:
Bangbangboom wrote:
Jesus, who needs written instructions on drinking in a group?

That's what I was thinking when reading the article, do you not do rounds in the US?

Most of the time? Nope. Really, the only time is when there's a special on draft beer, and people will take turns buying pitchers, but that's about it.

And a good friend of mine is great for ordering doubles of whiskey when everyone else is drinking beer. He's also socially inept.

**Bangbangboom**

Spyral wrote:
It's a stupid system. If I offer anyone a drink if one person wants it I can get it for them, if more want it I take orders + money.

Rounds are silly especially if you don't drink alcohol that much.

Do you carry change? Know the cost of each drink the bar serves? Pay for each drink individually?

Seems far more complicated then just buying a round.

**Coolyo294**

whembly wrote:
Woah... what bar is this?

Is it enough? Nah... need moar!

The bar's called The Local.

**Sir Samuel Buca**

One thing to remember is that whoever turns up first, if alone, gets the drinks in beforehand.
And on a side note, if someone turns up late, it's their round. It doesn't matter if you've just got your drinks, or if you aren't even doing rounds, they have no drink, it's their round, repeat for all subsequent latecomers.

**Dreadclaw69**

Bullockist wrote:
I had a group of mates who banned women from rounds solely for the reason of them ordering expensive drinks. I think a few of the women thought we were excluding them for being female, but it was just the fact that 2 of their drinks cost the same as the rest of the round.
These rules should be stickied.

Good point, I don't think the rules cover that.
If you're in a group and rounds are in operation it is not acceptable for someone to start drinking double measures of spirits and mixers, or something else expensive, when another else is paying, but switch to something cheaper when they are buying. If someone does pull that stunt it is generally fair game for everyone else to start ordering the expensive drinks until the offender learns his/her lesson.

**Spyral**

Its not fair basically. If I buy drink A that costs 1.50, someone else drinks B which is 1, and somene else drinks C which is 2 then the whole thing costs 4.50 and a round will only get B 3 drinks whereas they could have had 4.5 drinks for the money they have spent.

**Albatross**

This whole thing is bollocks. There are no hard-and-fast rules that govern drinking in the British Isles, Ireland included. Wanna drink in rounds? Go for it. Can't be bothered with it? No worries. If someone tried to give me grief about this sort of thing they'd get glassed up quicker than you can say 'drinking rules are for students and rugby fans'. Scum, basically.

Just do your own thing, whembly. It's nowhere near as much of a convention as tipping is in the US. Don't be pressured into doing something you're not comfortable with. I won't drink in rounds with any more than 2-3 of my closest friends, and I certainly wouldn't let anyone hassle me into buying drinks for 10 people I hardly know just because it's 'the done thing'. There's a reason I stopped drinking whisky.

**agnosto**

Too complicated. I prefer to run a tab for myself and whoever I'm with and pony up at the end. The waitress sometimes pads the bill (intentionally or not) but it's usually right.

Or, the Japanese system was nice; many bars had a "nomihodai" (all you can drink) system. Pay $20-$50 bucks an hour or 2 and drink everything you want. None of this crap about worrying whose turn it is.

**Snrub**

In my group rounds don't consist of us buying each person a drink. A round for us is just going and buying a couple of jugs of beer and having everyone take their drinks from the jug. It works out the same as buying individual drinks for everyone but its just much eaiser and works out slightly cheaper.

We also do "special rounds" every now and again. Someone will declare they are going to get something like a Jack & coke or whatnot and will then take orders and collect money for those who want something slighly fancier.

**DutchKillsRambo**

agnosto wrote:
Too complicated. I prefer to run a tab for myself and whoever I'm with and pony up at the end. The waitress sometimes pads the bill (intentionally or not) but it's usually right.

Or, the Japanese system was nice; many bars had a "nomihodai" (all you can drink) system. Pay $20-$50 bucks an hour or 2 and drink everything you want. None of this crap about worrying whose turn it is.

Dunno where you were but my friend in Kumamoto City is paying ~8 bucks a night for the same all you can drink. Geography I guess.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Snrub wrote:
In my group rounds don't consist of us buying each person a drink. A round for us is just going and buying a couple of jugs of beer and having everyone take their drinks from the jug. It works out the same as buying individual drinks for everyone but its just much eaiser and works out slightly cheaper.

We also do "special rounds" every now and again. Someone will declare they are going to get something like a Jack & coke or whatnot and will then take orders and collect money for those who want something slighly fancier.

Why the feth would you order Jack when you have Scotch?

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Snrub wrote:
In my group rounds don't consist of us buying each person a drink. A round for us is just going and buying a couple of jugs of beer and having everyone take their drinks from the jug. It works out the same as buying individual drinks for everyone but its just much eaiser and works out slightly cheaper.

We also do "special rounds" every now and again. Someone will declare they are going to get something like a Jack & coke or whatnot and will then take orders and collect money for those who want something slighly fancier.

Ahh feth I just realized you were looking down on Jack. Apologies. My Bad, I fethed up on that one.

**agnosto**

DutchKillsRambo wrote:

Dunno where you were but my friend in Kumamoto City is paying ~8 bucks a night for the same all you can drink. Geography I guess.

Nobody's ever confused Tokyo with being cheap.

**Ouze**

Bangbangboom wrote:
Jesus, who needs written instructions on drinking in a group?

I thought it was a fascinating post, as I'm not familiar with drinking etiquette in the UK, or to be honest nearly any other foreign country.

**Howard A Treesong**

There are no hard or fast rules on getting rounds, it's what people are comfortable. If you want to do rounds then offer others what you ask from them. If you don't know a group of people, are only staying for one or haven't got cash on you to do big rounds then just be up front about it.

**Xeriapt**

Pretty much I think it comes down to common courtesy, if someone offers to buy you a drink and you say yes it would be a bit weak to not return the favour.

**Eggs**

We generally use a kitty system up here (scotland) if its a large group. If you are on doubles, you put double in the kitty. If you are designated driver or whatever, just chuck in a fiver. Small groups the rounds thing happens just as the op stated.

**SoloFalcon1138**

Dreadclaw69 wrote:
As an authentic Irish person I can confirm that the article is pretty much spot on

SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
sounds right. Also, if you are going this weekend, it would probably be a good thing to refrain from being too excited about St Patrick's Day, its more of an American "let's drink" holiday.

Its a lets drink holiday regardless of where you are

No so much over there... But, what am I talking about, you're an American! No one is loved more than a boorish and drunk American in a foreign country!

/sarcasm

**Toastedandy**

As an Irish person, no one honestly cares, if someone does buy you a drink, its common cutesy to return the favor, but if you cant afford to get full rounds, don't. Getting strangers to buy rounds is just a way to get free drink off naive tourists, always has been always will be.