Irish eyes not smilin’

From the Calgary Herald: A wee bit of blarney was emanating from the Emerald Isle last week after Irish politician Regina Doherty complained about Prime Minister Stephen Harper sipping some Guinness on a tour of the famous brewer’s Dublin storehouse.

Doherty says that the publicity surrounding Harper taking a nip of the famous stout damages Ireland’s image, while “young Irish women are dying from liver sclerosis for God’s sake — real shame.”

There’s no harm done, and Harper did nothing that was out of the ordinary or offensive. He did what anyone would do who tours a facility that produces food or drink — he had a taste of the wares.

It’s not like a picture of him sipping stout is going to make people link Ireland with the drinking of alcohol as something new. Writers from James Joyce to Roddy Doyle have written classic novels around this theme.

Doherty is engaging in the wearin’ of the mean, rather than the green. She’s full of blarney.