By Kim Scroggins

In pubs across the world, glasses were raised to toast the 250th birthday of one of Ireland’s most well known beers on what is now known as National Guinness Day.

On Thursday, September 24, 2009 at precisely 17:59 pm local time in Dublin, the drinking festivities began. Events included live Irish music and performances by the Black Eyed Peas and other national artists. Other cities to have also hosted events were Lagos, Portugal, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and New York.

The celebration isn’t just for the beer, but for the decision made by Arthur Guinness to sign a 9,000-year lease for a brewery in St. James’ Gate, Dublin in 1759. Since then, the dark ale has been spread and consumed – today it’s been said that 10 million pints are enjoyed a day – in bars all around the world.

However, for those of us who couldn’t make it into the city, what a better way to spend that night than at a pub? The music was loud, the game was on, and from people at the bar cheers of “Happy Arthur’s Day” were heard.

For those who are not beer drinkers or Guinness fans, a shot of Irish whiskey passes for a toast. But for a word of advice, being a fan of the original draught myself, word of mouth is the limited edition anniversary stout is something to try.

The Guinness Company also mentioned The Arthur Guinness Fund, which was recently started in light of the anniversary. The fund is designed to motivate individuals to better benefit their communities. For more information, check out the Guinness Web page www.guinness.com.

Whether you’re Irish or not, everyone enjoys a nice cold beer. So, on Sept. 24 of next year, pour yourself a pint and raise it to Arthur Guinness, the man who started it all. Cheers.