Hey Baby, Got any Irish in You?

Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all. To think a year ago I was standing in a blazing hot parking lot at Mother Egan's pub, drinking beer and listening to the dulcet tones of Chatham County Line at Austin's SXSW music festival. A stark contrast to St. Patrick's day two years ago, which was spent scrambling in Brisbane department stores trying to find a suit for next day's meetings because my luggage was missing in action. Australian Target rocks.

Chicago sounds like it would be a fun place to spend March 17. The whole colouring-the-river thing is hilarious, though now I wonder why they don't do it red for Valentine's day. Or black & orange for Halloween. Perhaps the latter colour scheme is better suited to Alaskan wildlife preserves.

Everyone seems to be a Guinness drinker these days. I think I understand why. The parent company of the brand, liquid giant Diageo has been on a pretty targeted campaign to gain market share here in Canada.

A quick glance of their North American strategy reveals a comprehensive PR initiative to get Canadians drinking their Liffey Water. Now all those goofy petitions and coasters make sense.

"Guinness also enjoyed a surge in popularity in Canada, on the back of our most successful ever St Patrick’s Day campaign. With over 47,000 hits on our website, 105 print articles, 4.5 hours of TV and radio coverage, the statistics demonstrate how Guinness and St Patrick’s Day fire the imagination of Canadian consumers. "

The now-defunct pub at the end of my street used to have one of those official Guinness St. Patrick's Day countdown clocks. It used to give me a queasy sense of foreboding. Sitting there, tuning out conversation, staring at the wall, watching the seconds of my life slip away. Great campaign.