O'Canada

The city halls in Dublin and Toronto are very different architecturally. Politically and culturally, and what actually happens inside, I don’t know.

City Hall, Dublin is Georgian, finished in 1769. It’s a large, serious, grey stone building, with imposing pillars and other architectural features I couldn’t name. The building was built to be the Royal Exchange, “a meeting place for Dublin’s businessmen, where they could buy and sell goods and trade bills of exchange,” as Wikipedia puts it. It became the city hall in 1852 and has kept on ever since through all of the changes in Irish politics.

Toronto City Hall is a modernist building opened in 1965, and it’s one of this city’s most famous landmarks. It and the CN Tower are probably the two buildings here that are recognized all over the world. What we now call Old City Hall is across the street to the east and is now a courthouse. It’s a beautiful Victorian building. Out in front of Toronto City Hall is Nathan Phillips Square, a popular place festivals, protests, New Year’s Eve parties, and celebrations when The Team wins The Big Game.

Dublin City Hall

Toronto City Hall

In Ireland the beer market is dominated by a few big brands, which you tend to see in every pub you enter – Guinness, Smithwicks, Heineken, for example, are everywhere!

And when it comes to stout, Guinness certainly dominates supreme. However, it is worth noting a couple of nice offerings in the stout department, which are also Irish, though lesser known. One is Murphys, manufactured in Cork, and in that part of the world, Corkonians identify it as “the” stout. Beamish is another Irish stout, also hailing from Cork.

When it comes to microbreweries, Canada wins hands-down in the authors’ view. Microbrews in pubs are rarely found in Ireland, while in Canada they are common, and there is a huge amount of variety. The authors are most familiar with Ontario options, e.g. Steam Whistle, but Quebec, B.C., Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and many other parts have a fine selection to offer also. In Ireland there are a few pubs, like the Porterhouse Brewing Company in Dublin, that brew on premise, and sell food and microbrews on site, but microbrews simply don’t seem to have been allowed to penetrate the pubs in Ireland, and thus are a far rarer sight, than is the case in Canada.

This photo was taken in a pub in Castletownbere in Co. Cork, where Murphys is, simply put, "the official pint of us".	Shown here is a six pack of Steam Whistle, manufactured in Toronto, Ontario and seriously good beer! (Picture obtained on Google Images courtesty of a creative commons license).
Porterhouse Brewing Company is one of the few places you can go in Dublin if you want to enjoy a microbrew.	Moosehead, another fab tasting Canadian microbrew, manufactured in St. John, New Brunswick. (This picture courtesy of JcMaco's creative commons license on flickr)

Sophie talked about Bewley’s and Tim Hortons in an earlier post. Here’s an in depth look at the crucial question of what to have with your drink.

At a Tim’s, you’d have a coffee. (I think theirs tastes horrible but gazillions of people disagree and drink it like it’s laced with something even more addictive than caffeine. They do make a niced “brewed tea,” which is what normal people call “tea.”) You might make it a “double double,” which is two sugars and two dollops of cream. And to go with it you’d order a Timbit, their name for what’s usually called a “doughnut hole.” Which when you think about it is a bit rude.

At Bewley’s you’d order a pot of tea and a scone. Less Canadian, more Irish … more civilized, better tasting.

A nice cup of tea at Bewley's on Grafton Street, with a scone. Note the milk jug, butter, jam, and the little madeleine that comes with the tea.

A cup of Tim Hortons coffee (for takeout) and a glazed Timbit. If you wanted sugar, milk, or cream, they put it in for you behind the counter before handing it over.

Kavanagh: Oh Mister Gould! Oh Mister Gould!
Are you enjoying sitting there upon the bench?

Gould: I have my scarf on and my gloves
To keep me warm when it gets cold
But I find — do you agree? — that people put their arms ’round me
Which is intrusive and quickly becomes old

Kavanagh: Positively, Mister Gould!

Gould: Absolutely, Mister Kavanagh!

Statue of Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh looking out over a Dublin canal

Statue of Canadian pianist Glenn Gould in front of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation headquarters

In Ireland, that little man who lets you know it’s safe to proceed and cross the road really is green. In Canada he’s black with a dotted white outline. The authors observe that the Irish walk symbol man seems to be of the “stroller” type, while his Canadian counterpart, in contrast, seems to walk animatedly, with determined purpose and vigour.

And with practically every walk signal in Ireland, comes a pedestrian “push the button” affair. In Canada we find this is less the case.

Canadian visitors of Sophie Bury’s recently, commented on the ubiquity of these buttons, and the fact that they seemed to “have to” be pushed before one was guaranteed ever seeing the green man. Having discussed this with some Irish friends, it seems that, though it might appear pushing the button is always a must, this varies by intersection. Very often the lights are just preprogrammed. However, what we really admire about the Irish model of push buttons everywhere, is that they facilitate the combination of image and sound, so that whenever the green man appears, the visually impaired also benefit from a beeping signal (emanating from aforementioned button device),  to let them know that it’s safe to proceed across the road. In Canada, as far as the blog authors have observed, sound for the benefit of the visually impaired, is far less common at intersections with lights.

The walk signal in Ireland, features a green man.

Walk signal at an intersection in Toronto.

This is the type of button which pedestrians are encouraged to press at Irish intersections, to get the strolling green man light signal and auditory signal to spring in to action.

While having a cuppa at home is a mighty popular past-time in Ireland, having one while out and about also proves exceedingly agreeable to many folk. And there are certainly many, many options in terms of places to go and have said cuppa. Equally, there is no shortage of options in Canada. Both countries have the big worldwide giants like Starbucks, though interestingly enough the first Starbucks only came to Ireland a few years ago, while Starbucks have been in around in Canada for many years.

But what about the coffee and tea retailers founded and headquartered on native territory? Here are a few examples below:

Bewley's of Grafton Street, originally opened in 1927, is now owned by an Irish entrepreneur, Patrick Campbell and his family. It's the last of the Bewley's Cafes in Ireland, and a treasured Dublin landmark. The demise of the Bewley's cafes was a significant event for many Irish people, and to this day one of the blog authors, Sophie Bury, experiences a pang of nostalgia literally every time she hears the place mentioned! This Tea Emporium was a hangout for old and young over many years, where cherry buns, almond rings, and hearty Irish teas (sausages, beans, chips etc.) were served up in cosy surroundings.

Tim Hortons is something of a national symbol or cultural fixture in Canadian Life. It was founded by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton in the 1960s, and is famous for the coffee and doughnuts it serves, and seriously beloved by many Canucks. Lineups (both drive-through and in-person) and quite a common sight at Tim Hortons. And the sheer number (close to 3,000 across Canada in 2009) is a testament to their popularity.

Butlers Chocolates, luxury Irish chocolates, are something for which Ireland is deservedly well regarded. It was founded back in the 1930s. In 1998 the same folks who make these chocolates started establishing cafes throughout Ireland. Teas, speciality coffees and other hot beverages can be enjoyed here. The chocolate one receives with every hot beverage purchase is a well-received gesture.

Second Cup, founded in Canada in 1975, is Canada's largest speciality coffee shop chain. It is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, and has 360 retail stores across Canada.

My knowledge of Irish history is tiny, and my knowledge of Canadian history isn’t great, so I put forward this comparison not knowing if it holds up at all: Daniel O’Connell (1775 – 1847) from Ireland and William Lyon Mackenzie (1795 – 1861) in Canada (or Upper Canada, as it was then; now called Ontario). Both politicians who fought against ruling Anglican elites, though with different means.

Daniel O'Connell (1775 - 1847)

William Lyon Mackenzie (1795 - 1861)

O’Connell was a Roman Catholic and battled the Protestant Ascendancy, the Anglican elite that controlled Ireland. Mackenzie wasn’t religious, but battled the Family Compact, the Anglican elite that controlled Ontario.

O’Connell was a peaceful man. He gained many rights for Catholics in Ireland, and tried but did not succeed to separate Ireland from the United Kingdom. Mackenzie was no pacifist. He led the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837, a small and confused rebellion that didn’t get anywhere.

Grand statue of Daniel O'Connell in Dublin. Photo taken by Martin O'Connell

Small statue of William Lyon Mackenzie in Toronto

The ultimate aims of both men were achieved in the end. Ireland became free and Catholics have full rights. Canada has responsible government, thanks to the Durham Report and concern over the Upper Canada and Lower Canada rebellions.

Interesting connection: I (William Denton) am descended from an uncle of David Gibson, who fought with Mackenzie. Gibson fled the country after the failed rebellion and lived in the States for over a decade, but was later able to return and built a house in north Toronto that is now a museum: Gibson House. The uncle was about Gibson’s age and they were good friends.

O’Connell photo source: Wikipedia. Mackenzie photo source: Wikipedia. Photograph of statue of Daniel O’Connell taken from Flickr, courtesy of Martin O’Connell.

In Ireland for travelling around a city, we tend to prefer two decks, when it comes to buses – the double decker type. You might have thought they’ve gotta be green, green, green. It’s Ireland, afterall! But you would be wrong. Most of our Dublin Bus buses, at any rate, are yellow and blue!

In Canada, city buses are typically single-tiered affairs and in Toronto they are run by the TTC and are red and white (how patriotic is that!). Do not be led in to thinking that the double-decker is exclusive territory of the Irish and British isles – the GO buses, the Greater Toronto Transit Authority, which connect Toronto with nearby suburbs and cities, are of the double-decker variety, and are green and white.

When it comes to intercity travel, the Irish tend to travel on Bus Eireann, and this like the Canadian Greyhound, is a single deck experience.

The Go buses connect Toronto and nearby suburbs and towns/cities.

Dublin Bus runs the buses that serve Dublin city. Like in Canada, advertisements often get plastered on much of a bus' real estate. We're reminded to bin our gum or face heavy fines.

This is one of the TTC buses which serves the city of Toronto.

Bus Eireann is Ireland's inter city bus service.

Well, actually, it’s arguably not that simple! Irish people are far more likely to say taxi than cab, but we’ve heard Canadians use the two terms interchangeably. And there is the word taxicab, though really does anyone ever say that nowadays?

For what it’s worth, the authors have noticed some differences in how taxis work in Ireland versus Canada. In Ireland the signage you’ll see atop taxis, is pretty well uniform – the word “taxi” appears. Individual taxi companies are not identified. In Canada, the taxi company is clearly identified, shown below – a Beck cab.

Also in Canada, it’s pretty unthinkable for a passenger to get in the front seat of a taxi (unless there are so many passengers that it cannot be avoided), while in Ireland that happens quite frequently, even when there is just one passenger. So what’s that all about anyway? :-)

And Irish taxi drivers tend to be chatty, often initiating a dialogue with passenger(s). In Toronto, at least, this isn’t as common. This could be good or bad depending on what you like, of course!

Taxi in Dublin.

Taxi in Toronto

This is the first in a series of posts re similarities and differences in drinking (alcohol) that the authors have observed between Ireland and Canada.

So we begin with the question: Is there a national drink of Ireland or a national drink of Canada, i.e., some alcoholic beverage you’d think of and say yes that’s quintessentially Irish or Canadian?!

Well in the Irish case, this seemed pretty easy. Let’s face it, most people probably in and outside of Ireland would think of Guinness. Not only does it seem to be available in practically every pub in Ireland but there is signage everywhere, whole stores that sell Guinness paraphernalia, and the list goes on.

As to Canada, well yes, of course, there is Molson’s and Labbatt’s, which are Canadian beer brands and have been around for years. Should they be beer of which Canada can be especially proud, well, that’s open to debate. Certainly they get consumed a whole lot.

But the authors thought that if you were to pick a drink that not too many outside of Canada have heard of, and to which Canadians tend to be rather partial (while non-Canadians tend to be rather appalled, at least initially, of the news on what this cocktail contains!), you might mention the Ceasar. Take a look below to learn more…

Guinness, Ireland's national pint? And not just stout.	The Caesar, arguably Canada's national alcoholic cocktail. It typically contains vodka, clamato juice (mixture of tomato juice and clam broth), Worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce. It is typically served on ice in a celery-salt rimmed glass, and often garnished with a wedge of lemon or lime, and a celery stick. YUMMY!
Guinness signage and other promotional gizmos abound in Ireland.	Clamato juice, a mixture of clam broth and tomato juice, which comes in spicy and not so spicy varieties, is added to vodka to make the Caesar.