Paddy Losty the pintman

flookdgates

Some of Dublin's great pintmen have been known to put away thirty pints or more a in day.
Leaving aside the memes and jokes for a moment, can you imagine the kind of life this man led and the effect it had on those around him? He more than likely was unemployed if he sat in a pub from morning to night drinking, squandering away his dole money. His kids probably never knew their father. His wife may as well have been a widow and probably had to get a part-time job herself just to feed the children and keep the bills paid while daddy drank away the dole. Yet wider Irish society would label Paddy a harmless character or even herald him as a legend.

Time for the country to adjust their attitude to alcohol and grow up. It's only when you move abroad and look at the country from an outside perspective that you realise the Irish have a major problem with booze. A few years down the line you will look back on the Reddit memes and the light-hearted articles on the Journal about this alcoholic and cringe.

Sorry if this post comes across as aggressive but it has touched a very personal nerve.

umop episdn

flookdgates wrote: »

Some of Dublin's great pintmen have been known to put away thirty pints or more a in day.
Leaving aside the memes and jokes for a moment, can you imagine the kind of life this man led and the effect it had on those around him? He more than likely was unemployed if he sat in a pub from morning to night drinking, squandering away his dole money. His kids probably never knew their father. His wife may as well have been a widow and probably had to get a part-time job herself just to feed the children and keep the bills paid while daddy drank away the dole. Yet wider Irish society would label Paddy a harmless character or even herald him as a legend.

Time for the country to adjust their attitude to alcohol and grow up. It's only when you move abroad and look at the country from an outside perspective that you realise the Irish have a major problem with booze. A few years down the line you will look back on the Reddit memes and the light-hearted articles on the Journal about this alcoholic and cringe.

Sorry if this post comes across as aggressive but it has touched a very personal nerve.

30 pints?! He would have been considered a lightweight here!

Wanderer78

Again, yes we have a disturbing relationship with alcohol in this country, and a serious underfunding of our addiction and mental health services, this isn't really changing

vg88

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Again, yes we have a disturbing relationship with alcohol in this country, and a serious underfunding of our addiction and mental health services, this isn't really changing

I remember my first drink. Parents at 16 no you can't drink here at home, get pissed off my face in a field and got told it was a right of passage for puking for a couple of days?

We've a serious messed up relationship with alcohol, but my generation drink less so it's slowly getting better.

lawred2

Never heard of him.

Pinch Flat

We’re probably one of the only countries in the workd that puts alcoholics up on a pedestal, like some sort if hero. I hope he was single, because I’d say the story of his wife and kids is pretty horrific if he’s spending that on gargle.

flookdgates

umop episdn wrote: »

30 pints?! He would have been considered a lightweight here!

I promise if you had personal experience with somebody like Paddy Losty you wouldn't think it was funny. I envy you that you can make jokes about it.

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Again, yes we have a disturbing relationship with alcohol in this country, and a serious underfunding of our addiction and mental health services, this isn't really changing

Perhaps there is a diminishment of personal responsibility for the problem by blaming it on "Ireland" in general. We all have a personal role to play. Number one, stop pretending alcoholics are good craic and a laugh. They should feel ashamed and been seen as victims to be pitied. Number two, don't feed the bloated alcohol industry with your hard earned cash. I personally (reluctantly) only set foot in a pub maybe once or twice a year. I'm not a big drinker. Instead of having twenty pubs in every small Irish village, imagine if one was converted into a kickboxing club so the beer bellies could get a workout. Or maybe an art club.

lawred2

Pintmen? That's not a thing surely.

Hi, I'm Jim

What do you do Jim?

Oh me!? I'm a pintman

Wanderer78

moloner4 wrote:

I remember my first drink. Parents at 16 no you can't drink here at home, get pissed off my face in a field and got told it was a right of passage for puking for a couple of days?

I think my parents approached it well, allowed us to drink at home at that age, even bought it for us, I no longer drink myself, but I've had many bad experiences with alcohol so called it a day a few years ago. Disturbingly, illegal drugs are very plentiful nowadays, I'd be freaking if I was a parent

McMurphy

Ireland has seen a steady decline in alcohol consumption for years now,

Source

When it comes to getting stocious, we are now lagging far behind the British, the French and the Germans.

Since our tipsy boom-time heyday, we have dropped from eighth to 18th in the European drinking charts.

Ireland may have alcoholics, but there is no need to suggest we are a nation of them.

Wanderer78

flookdgates wrote:

Perhaps there is a diminishment of personal responsibility for the problem by blaming it on "Ireland" in general. We all have a personal role to play. Number one, stop pretending alcoholics are good craic and a laugh. They should feel ashamed and been seen as victims to be pitied. Number two, don't feed the bloated alcohol industry with your hard earned cash. I personally (reluctantly) only set foot in a pub maybe once or twice a year. I'm not a big drinker. Instead of having twenty pubs in every small Irish village, imagine if one was converted into a kickboxing club so the beer bellies could get a workout. Or maybe an art club.

Shaming people with addiction and mental health problems is not progress, we ve been doing this for ions, it hasn't worked out very well for us

flookdgates

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

Ireland has seen a steady decline in alcohol consumption for years now.

Ireland may have alcoholics, but there is no need to suggest we are a nation of them.

Great to hear that. Our media still have a long way to go in adjusting the way they put alcoholics up on a pedestal as some sort of comedy figure. Please call out these unfunny hacks every time you see it.

entertainment.ie

www.dailyedge.ie

Joe.ie

Pintman Paddy Losty

Ara I wouldn't be fond of drinking but when I'd go at it I'd go at it awful very hard. I'd have about 45 pints in about eh two hours I'd have a packet crips then maybe an aul packet of peanuts. And then if go for, arra I'd have ten more anyway. Then I'd get up the following morning and Maureen would have the fry on. And I'd go at it again. And there'd be no ****ing shtoppin me. Id take the shirt off any man's back. Bastards.

enricoh

A mate of mine would drink 20 pints on a day out, no bother. Doesn't drink at home, probably goes out once every two weeks. Doesn't be locked or rowdy, spends a few hours backing a few horses before I'd meet him . I don't see the problem.
Horses for courses as they say.

Atlantic Dawn

The maths don't add up, both on time it would take in a day to drink 30 pints and money it would take to buy them each day and sustain an income to continue doing it.

cdeb

flookdgates wrote: »

Time for the country to adjust their attitude to alcohol and grow up.

What, because of one person most people have never heard of, being trumpeted on clickbait websites, on the basis of a book which may or may not be correct?

That's enough for you to try shame the entire country, and suggest every Irish person should "readjust their attitude to alcohol and grow up?"

**** off.

sbsquarepants

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

The maths don't add up, both on time it would take in a day to drink 30 pints and money it would take to buy them each day and sustain an income to continue doing it.

Addiction is really more of a disease than business model!

The maths tend to not add up, you never really hear anyone saying "Jaysus, Paddy's doing well for himself, hadn't an arse in trousers still he started on the meth, but now look at him!":D

ELM327

It's 45 pints.
And shure a few more anyway.

Trasna1

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

The maths don't add up, both on time it would take in a day to drink 30 pints and money it would take to buy them each day and sustain an income to continue doing it.

He wouldn't have drank 30 every day.

Atlantic Dawn

Trasna1 wrote: »

He wouldn't have drank 30 every day.

Then a case of all fur coat and no knickers.

Minderbinder

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

Ireland has seen a steady decline in alcohol consumption for years now,

Source

When it comes to getting stocious, we are now lagging far behind the British, the French and the Germans.

Since our tipsy boom-time heyday, we have dropped from eighth to 18th in the European drinking charts.

Ireland may have alcoholics, but there is no need to suggest we are a nation of them.

I for one blame coffee for draining some of our best drinking talents.

kerryjack

A lot of these lads had the storage tanks to go with it. My ould lad would have drank a good drop himself when we didn't have a lot I drank a good sup myself because I taught it was the thing to do but packed it up when i saw the light You won't be able to do both now because women dont put up with that type of sit anymore

razorblunt

I don't think he ever said it was a daily intake, it was 20 pints in the session and you'd take that with a pinch of salt too.

Attitudes towards alcohol have been changing for the better for a while now.

SortingYouOut

I'm pretty sure the whole thing is a wind up.

flookdgates

flookdgates wrote: »

...............

Time for the country to adjust their attitude to alcohol and grow up............

To be fair I think the days of the "couple of pints on the way home from work" etc are long gone as being normal behaviour.

It's mainly dole heads that drink daily now in pubs.

The daily bottle of wine in the evening has replaced the pub though and it's both males and females are guzzling the vino with gusto. A glass is fiine of course but I doubt there's more opened bottle going back in the cupboard/fridge than empty ones for recycling.

whisky_galore

Pintman - worst Marvel superhero ever.

Franz Von Peppercorn

Norm!

WesternZulu

whisky_galore wrote: »

Pintman - worst Marvel superhero ever.

Pintmans not the hero Ireland deserves but the one it needs right now.

Franz Von Peppercorn

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Ara I wouldn't be fond of drinking but when I'd go at it I'd go at it awful very hard. I'd have about 45 pints in about eh two hours I'd have a packet crips then maybe an aul packet of peanuts. And then if go for, arra I'd have ten more anyway. Then I'd get up the following morning and Maureen would have the fry on. And I'd go at it again. And there'd be no ****ing shtoppin me. Id take the shirt off any man's back. Bastards.

Still going after all these years. I wonder what the op is worried by.

Hector Savage

Pinch Flat wrote: »

We’re probably one of the only countries in the workd that puts alcoholics up on a pedestal, like some sort if hero. I hope he was single, because I’d say the story of his wife and kids is pretty horrific if he’s spending that on gargle.

No he was married, didn't Maureen have the fry on for him in the morning .... and then he'd go at it again, and no ****ing man would stap him ... he'd take the shirt off any mans back ....bastards.

El Tarangu

OP, I'm not sure that a quote from a man who was already somewhat of a bygone from another era 20 years' ago can be taken as indicative of society's attitude to alcohol today.

StringerBell

Ah to be fair he wouldn't drink often, but when he would he'd go at it awful and hard. Don't even think about stopping him the second day either, Jesus he'd take the shirt off any man's back after a good fry up

Hector Savage

OK beaten to it ... but seriously, maybe he said 4 to 5 pints in about 2 hours ???

and then 10 more ... that would be more "reasonable" levels of alcoholism

FrancieBrady

Sometimes I think our problem is with bravado and drink or the ability to count.

I worked in a pub for a while and many many times you would hear fella's say, 'jaysus I had 15 pints last night'.

'No you didn't, you had 7 pints and fell asleep in the corner'.

StringerBell

Hector Savage wrote: »

OK beaten to it ... but seriously, maybe he said 4 to 5 pints in about 2 hours ???

and then 10 more ... that would be more "reasonable" levels of alcoholism

Not really, sure twas well broken up with a packet of crips then and maybe a packet of peanuts

Hector Savage

I used to go to college with a guy and he had a serious drink problem - more the character he turned into when he was drunk an obnoxious asshole that was unrecognizable then the actual amount he drank.

Anyway the most I ever saw him drink was 20, and that was over the course of a day during rag week ..

Sprinter Sacre

https://youtu.be/stRINgcyLQU

Outlaw Pete

Norm!!

marketty

My heart sank when I saw the thread title, thought we had lost another legend.

Pintmen built this country, have some respect.

whisky_galore

marketty wrote: »

Pintmen built this country.

No wonder nearly every street is crooked.

Wanderer78

van_man wrote: »

in ireland we often celebrate the kind of people who would be labelled " losers " in the likes of the usa

growing up , i was aware of men with six children ( one had ten ) who spent most waking minutes on a high stool , it never done their parish reputation a bit of harm , i was at school with the kids and they were poorly dressed and ate the same basic lunch every day , stands to reason they had to go with less , incredibly selfish men when you think about it

addiction is an incredible selfish act

whisky_galore

van_man wrote: »

in ireland we often celebrate the kind of people who would be labelled " losers " in the likes of the usa

"A great man for the pints" - Professional alcoholic.

"He's tough out" - Uncommunicative, possible mental health issues.

"Cute" - Devious and calculating, if a politician, quite possibly corrupt.

Wanderer78

van_man wrote: »

neither has taking a liberal approach , the theory that alcoholism is a disease is some pile of rubbish

have you ever heard of a starving person in india or sudan been described as an alcoholic ?, they get every other disease funnily enough but not alcoholism , only disease which costs money

yes, i have seen impoverished people in developing countries struggling with alcoholism and drug addiction, addiction doesnt care for your socioeconomic back round. i dont call addiction a disease, its a highly complex disorder that requires certain professional help, but addicts to must play their part, they must want to be helped and to change, its common they dont, such is the complexity of the issue

Grayson

Hector Savage wrote: »

No he was married, didn't Maureen have the fry on for him in the morning .... and then he'd go at it again, and no ****ing man would stap him ... he'd take the shirt off any mans back ....bastards.

Not sure the guy ate. I had an uncle who drank everyday. When he retired he turned into one of these guys. He'd have a slice of toast in the morning and a slice in the evening and that was it. Besides that he'd drink guinness all day long. He died at 72 from a massive stroke.

It was mainly men that do this. It's not that women don't binge drink but when they did people would look down on them, whereas men were viewed differently. The fact that this guy was called a pintman is proof of that.

Wanderer78

van_man wrote: »

do the same attitudes exists in places like italy , spain etc ( traditionally catholic countries ) ?

ive only worked in traditionally protestant countries ( usa ,canada , new zealand ) and they are far more unforgiving of that kind of carry on

ive very little experiences in those countries but yea they probably do, this is more than likely a human problem with its own cultural twists

Wanderer78

van_man wrote: »

ive no doubt its extremely difficult to beat addiction , i believe addictions are a terrible affliction and that the person is suffering , i do feel sorry for them as they are not happy

my sole point is that they are not diseases and labeling them diseases is not helpful as it actually strips the person of hope

our common labels probably are not helping, but we may not truly understand addiction, but incredible research has been done on it though

flookdgates

cdeb wrote: »

What, because of one person most people have never heard of, being trumpeted on clickbait websites, on the basis of a book which may or may not be correct?

That's enough for you to try shame the entire country, and suggest every Irish person should "readjust their attitude to alcohol and grow up?"

**** off.

Amazing. I don't appreciate being told to **** off by a mod. In my experience the regular users of this site are decent people who are able to engage in civil conversation. The mods however don't seem to know how to socially interact with others. Is it a consequence of computer nerds sitting at their keyboards all day and never talking with real humans face to face?

whisky_galore

van_man wrote: »

do the same attitudes exists in places like italy , spain etc ( traditionally catholic countries ) ?

ive only worked in traditionally protestant countries ( usa ,canada , new zealand ) and they are far more unforgiving of that kind of carry on

Probably not alcohol, the idea of getting p*ssed purely for the sake of getting p*ssed is not really a thing there.

It's more about savouring it and enjoying it with food.

I'm sure they have ways of papering over the cracks of other social failings.

Without doubt the acceptance of alcohol abuse as normal in this society brings some grade A idiots out of the woodwork. There was one on this website a couple of nights ago saying he was going out and that he'll "have 8 pints and not a drop more as I’ve work in the morning".

I don't know which is more pathetic, that an adult is bragging about everything he's going to drink, or the fact that he thinks it's normal to drink 8 pints on a night out. It's not fúcking normal. It's just not no matter how much of a "lad" you want to pretend to be.

Ireland has far too many of these people. It's long past the time that alcohol abuse is not romanticised and instead starts being treated like the serious blight on our society that it is. Culturally, this society is so backward and thoroughly immature in its acceptance of alcohol abuse. Culture changes - it's now unacceptable to smoke, send pregnant women to industrial schools, and so much else. It's long past time the Irish and their legislators grew up about alcohol abuse and made it culturally unacceptable.

Wanderer78

van_man wrote: »

another guy from where i grew up was brilliant at what he did for a living but a chronic alcoholic , he made shane mc gowan look like a tea totaller , his wife left him when he was in his thirties with their daughter , this man saw pints as a waste and lived on whiskey , he was perma intoxicated , he had to be driven to work whenever he did work as he hadnt time to sober up , died a few years ago having fallen down the stairs of his ramshack home

this guy was again loved locally , luckily his wife had enough sense to leave him young and the kid never suffered as a result

doubt that, it always leaves its emotional scares

razorblunt

WesternZulu wrote: »

Pintmans not the hero Ireland deserves but the one it needs right now.

"nobody cared about who I was ... until I put blackcurrant in my Guinness"