“There is this poetic imagery linking Guinness to conviviality and traditional Irish pubs but, on the other hand, the reality for lots of people is informed by a negative experience rooted in problem drinking and health issues.” Although our consumption of drink peaked at the start of the decade and has been falling since, Cassidy believes alcohol is still inextricably linked to Irish identity. "From Brendan Behan to Colin Farrell, it was understood that you could be drunk and Irish and creative. Then we managed to integrate drinking into the success culture of the Celtic Tiger." In a sense, the issue of identity is out of the hands of Diageo now because, as John Fanning, chairman of McConnells Advertising, points out, brands are effectively owned by the people who consume them rather than the manufacturer, “so if people think Guinness is Irish, then it doesn’t matter what the company thinks – it is Irish”. Full Article at Irish Times