Paper short abstract:

Based on fieldwork among wine enthusiasts in Dublin the presentation outlines Irish drinking as gendered and situational. Recent health concerns over Irish drinking exemplify how new drinking patterns and women drinkers have challenged masculine norms of public drinking.

Paper long abstract:

The perceived crisis of women's drinking is part of the gendered modes of drinking prevalent in Irish society. Irish drinking is often imagined as public and traditionally dominated by male drinkers, but it has come to be challenged by new scenarios and drinkers. This presentation outlines how Irish drinking is organised by categorisations of gender and drinking situation, with men's public drinking representing the whole. My fieldwork with wine enthusiasts in Dublin came to revolve around categorisation of drinking, with several unexpected statements about the safety of women, where it is seemly for a man to drink wine instead of a pint of beer, etc. Wine is associated with women and threatens women's health as much as men are restricted to drinking it only in certain situations. The drink offers an alternative to traditional Irish drinking that demarchates insider and outsider-drinkers differently from the inclusion and exclusion of the pub.