In the 1940s and 1950s, the most sought-after job in Ireland was a position at the Guinness Brewery in St James’s Gate, Dublin. The reason? Nothing to do, in the days when the Irish drank heavily, with the free pint of Guinness served daily to each staff member over the age of 25. It was because the philanthropic Guinness family provided their workers with free medical care, a pension, free lunch and, best of all, regular social events at which singletons had a good chance of meeting a romantic partner. The most popular event in the social calendar was the tall man’s dance. There was much laughter and conniving at the entrance point to this event, as the door was six feet tall and only men who had to duck were allowed to go in. Shorter men tried to gatecrash, because the top-of-the-range female workers were always certain to be...
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