Happy St. Patrick’s Day 2024! In honor of this day, I’ll discuss some Irish history.
Back before the Internet, folks would ponder and argue over such things as:
“What’s the fastest game bird in Europe?”
This question started an argument during a shooting party in County Wexford, Ireland in the early 1950’s. One of the arguers was Sir Hugh Beaver, the Managing Director of the Guinness Brewery.
But no one could find the answer in any book. They couldn’t ask Siri. They couldn’t Google it.
Sir Hugh recalled this argument and figured there should be a book to look up such things and settle bar arguments. What else is found in Irish bars? Guinness beer!
It was a match made in heaven. Twin brothers Norris and Ross McWhirter got to work on the first “Guinness Book of World Records”.
They never included what the fastest game bird in Europe or the world was, though! But all sorts of world records were researched and recorded.
Here are some of my favorite “Irish” records in that book:
- Largest Irish coffee (hot): 264 gallons by Paddy’s Bar & Grill in Portland, Oregon, USA.
- Largest Irish folk music band: 406 musicians by the Cooley Collins Traditional Music Festival (Ireland), in Gort, Ireland.
- Most Irish dancing heel clicks in 30 seconds: 191 by Benedict Devlin (UK) in London, UK.