THU. NOV. 21, 2002

To most people, spelling and beer drinking go together like term papers and crystal meth – OK, bad example, but you get the idea. However, to the Irish, beer drinking goes with anything: breakfast, lunch, dinner, Sunday mass, parent-teacher conferences, arc welding, cancer research and most importantly, whiskey. Their irrepressible optimism in the face of overwhelmingly depressing circumstance is just one of the many things that make the Irish fun party guests, affable cops, and happy saints. You’ve got your leprechauns, your wearin’ o’ the green, your kilts, your whistlin’ Irish Spring commercials, your Lucky Charms, and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. “Ruuu-deee! Ruuu-Deee! Ruuu-Deee!” Sure, there’s a dark side to the Irish, but is usually occurs sometime in the morning between the Guinness ropes and the first hair of the dog when the kids are safely in school learning the idiosyncrasies of their adopted mother tongue. In a disturbingly diabolical way, an adult spelling bee in an Irish pub makes a lot of sense. Spelling is challenging enough, but spelling and drinking certainly has to raise the bar (pun intended) a little. Plus, the 21 drinking age pretty much assures that no one will get shown up by a precocious 8 year old inebriate, though really, what could be more Irish? Lastly, if you’re one of those sober, judgmental types who think events of this nature only further reduce the collective intelligence quotient, be extra sure to attend. Your $3 entry fee benefits Literacy Austin.