Society for Cultural Anthropology

Volunteered - Oral Presentation Session

The New Irish Coffee: Exploring the Rise of Specialty Coffeehouses in Ireland

Coffee, Globalization, Ireland

Presenter(s)

• 

  Christopher LeClere

  PhD Candidate
  University of Florida

Specialty coffee has only been in the Republic of Ireland for 15 years. However, coffeehouses are now the fastest-growing segment for consumer spending in Ireland, with more than ten percent of the registered coffeehouses opening just within the last two years. A recent study found that for every one pub that closes in Ireland, two coffeehouses open. Driven partially by globalization, migration, and the temperance movement, this paper discusses some of the driving socioeconomic, cultural, and political forces behind the recent increase in specialty coffee in Ireland, and further explores whether coffeehouses are actually replacing pubs as the primary social space in Ireland.