It all started eight years ago in Spain. Since then, Dalton has visited 97 Irish pubs in 48 countries, including Portugal. In Lisbon, Dalton went to Bairro Alto, “a lawless kingdom of huge Dutch British and adolescents”, and enchanted with some national delicacies.
Pubs are a registered mark of Ireland’s culture and are spread over almost every corner of the planet. Colm Dalton, Irish of Kerry County, has the bold mission to know all the Irish Pubs in the world.
It all started eight years ago in the city of Bilbao, in Spain. Since then, he has visited 97 pubs in 48 countries, including Portugal – was in Lisbon, Cascais and the Azores.
Dalton reports the experiences on the blog, where he writes about the pubs and places he visits, but also about the culture of each country and city, in texts loaded with good mood and doses of irony.
In Lisbon there was a cute ginja, pastels and many pubs
In the Portuguese capital, Dalton went to Bairro Alto, and visited three pubs, but gave the gold medal to O’Gilins Irish Pub, based in the Sodré quay.
“Back in Lisbon, after 8 years of experience in Irish pubs, return to the Sodré quay, O’Gilins, my favorite pub. It was built in 1995, long before the invading tuk-tuks. According to legend, the owner rebuilt it by hand,” says the traveler.
In the middle of the trip, he tasted the pastels of Belém, drank ginjinhas and enchanted with the beauty of the tiles. There was also time to taste a francesinha accompanied by black beer, which yielded comparisons with the famous Guinness.
Son of musicians, grew up with “desire to travel”
Colm Dalton, a university professor resident in London, grew up in Fenit, a small village in Ireland with “a store and five pubs.” Son of musicians who play in local pubs, was born inserted in the culture that today is looking for the world.
A, says that the fact that he grew up near the sea intensified the “desire to travel.” The will has become a reality and the list of visited countries is becoming increasingly extensive.
“I probably won’t make it”
In Europe, it was for example in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Sweden, Estonia. It has been to the United States, Brazil, Japan, Indonesia. He has the dream of going to the Faroé Islands in the North Atlantic, and visiting O’Kelly’s Bar in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Dalton admits that he may not be able to fulfill the mission. According to the Global Irish Pub Federation, there are at least 6,500 Irish pubs in the world. “I probably won’t make it, but I think I can have fun trying.”
