Dublin is a drinking town.

Not to say that the great writers, musicians and history that have helped shape Irish culture are less important — because they aren’t.

But, when the number one tourist attraction in Dublin (Ireland’s capital) is the Guinness Brewery, it’s safe to say that drinking is what most people come here for.

It’s not like how people go to Vegas to gamble, or Amsterdam to smoke, though.

The drinking culture in Ireland is as much about the great writers, musicians and history of the country as it is about imbibing your alcoholic beverage of choice.

Or, at least it can be.

The Temple Bar district is one of the oldest and most famous parts of Dublin. Here, you can visit the same pubs that James Joyce, Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett frequented. The most popular walking tour in Dublin is the Literary Pub Crawl, in which actors guide you through various pubs, sharing stories of Irish writers and re-enacting their works. It comes highly recommended by yours truly.

Many of the pubs advertise live music every night, but don’t expect the traditional fiddle and bow drum typically associated with Irish music.

Instead, you’ll hear a new national sound that artists such as Damien Rice, Fionn Regan and Glen Hansard (from the Once movie) are making famous around the world. These artists got their start in Dublin and you can enjoy the same caliber of music anywhere from open-mic nights to street performances to just a regular night at the pub.

And then, of course, you can see the history around you in the pubs such as The Brazen Head, Ireland’s oldest pub, which dates back to 1198.

The Guinness factory in Dublin looks something like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory, and guides you through how the Irish stout became a national symbol. Then there’s the Jameson Factory, exporter of the world’s most popular Irish whiskey. Although the Scottish are credited with inventing whiskey, many here claim it was the Irish monks who showed them how to do make what they called “aqua vitae,” meaning the water of life.

With over 900 pubs, many of them open past 2 a.m., moderate drinking isn’t really encouraged here.

Although the stereotypical Irish drunk is all laughs, smiles, songs and stories, there is also a darker picture.

James Joyce’s “The Dubliners” and Frank McCourt’s “Angela’s” Ashes” describe how “the drink” has ruined families and people.

It’s not uncommon to come across a handful of people in normal clothing passed out on the street from the night before, lying in their own vomit and urine. It’s also not strange to see men urinating on buildings in broad day-light and people stumbling through the city holding a bottle in a brown bag.

A saying exists here that “God created alcohol to prevent the Irish from taking over the Earth.”

But when you look at the U.S., or even the recent tragedies that took place right in Lawrence, alcohol affects many of the Irish in the same way it does Americans and people in every other country in the world.

I guess the difference is that in America, a lot of people go out to get drunk with their friends. Here, when you go to a pub, you’re drinking with friends while you chat with strangers, listening to their stories and then telling them your own.

Even if God created alcohol to keep the Irish from conquering the world, I don’t think they’d care. Without it, I doubt Ireland would have the stories, music and fun that attracts people from the countries God deemed was okay to take over the earth.

— — Edited by Jason Baker