The Irish Pub is a place where the general public could enter and enjoy themselves without the need to be members. For ages the Pub (which stands for Public House) has been a place where the poor and working class have gone to enjoy camraderie, ales, and a good time.
In the beginning of the 19th century, the English banned pubs and made it illegal to erect one, or frequent one. It is this legislation which flourished the Irish Pub. They began to show up everywhere as a sort of protest against said legislation. The pubs offerred the public a lot more than just ales. They also offerred a variety of foods and hardware products. Many are known as public meeting houses and places where local musical acts could show their talents.
The bans on public smoking have hurt the Irish pub in recent years. Although over 13,000 pubs are still thriving and doing well on the Irish Island, and many more are popping up around the world. The Irish Pub may have gone through downtimes but it is still alive and well. It epitomizes everything good about the fighting Irish nature and offers a strong sense of community to all who enter.