Today is Arthur's Day or so those clever marketing people at Guinness would have you believe. Having commemorated the 250th anniversary on the brewery on September 22nd 2009, the company seem hellbent on making it an annual event, not just in Ireland, but around the world. Sure enough, people associate a pint of Guinness with Ireland, the same way as I associate a glass of Chianti with Tuscany or port with Portugal. The pub is seen as an integral part of Irish culture, especially for visiting tourists, but the relatively high cost of drink here (due largely to hefty taxes and excise duties) means that many locals are turning their back on the pub and drinking at home. The recession has seen many pubs, once seen as goldmines, struggling for survival. And our love affair with the 'black stuff', 'uaisce beatha' and all other forms of alcohol has its downside too, with high levels of alcoholism and worrying rates of teenage drinking being a national concern.