According to the Guiness Brewery, they produce seven million pints of the stout per day, exporting one million and consuming the other six million internally. Ireland is a country of only three million. That's two pints per day for every man, woman, and child - and you know some of those kids aren't pulling their weight!

Ireland has rugged cliffs and lush green pastures, but it's a bit too rural for my taste. Dublin is remarkably diverse and cosmopolitan, but I'm still glad my ancestors headed west. As part of the UK, Northern Ireland is noticeably wealthier, although just as quaint.