The presence of Irish pubs in major cities around the world is an example of how well-travelled Irish pub culture is.
The popularity of the Irish pub in war-time Ukraine proves no different.
The Fox and Pipe Irish pub in Odesa, Ukraine, is unique from many other Irish pubs however, as it is proud to not serve Guinness.
"We know what a good pint should be," said owner Nick Mazurenko.
"In our country it's impossible to buy imported Guinness from Ireland. And the locally produced version is very different from the authentic one."
The Fox and Pipe only sells what they "truly love and what meets the standards of an Irish pub", he said.
The pub opened in 2019 but for Mr Mazurenko, the love of Ireland goes back almost 20 years.
He claims to have been born in the wrong place or to maybe have shared a connection with Ireland in a past life.
In 2007, he started studying and playing traditional Irish music.
He later formed an Irish folk band in Ukraine called 'The Jolly’s' and began to tour around the world.
It was from this that he realised his hometown "missed that unique atmosphere" of an Irish pub.
Despite this spiritual connection, it was 2022 when he and his band first visited Ireland.
It was in the same year that business at the pub took a hit when Russia invaded.
Fewer people were in Odesa and there was not the same interest in socialising.
"In peacetime there were more foreign visitors, including the Irish. Now there aren’t as many," he said.
"Sometimes the city centre looks like a ghost town, especially after missile attacks."
'A little trip to Ireland' in Kyiv
Vyacheslav Syvolapenko opened the To Dublin Irish pub and restaurant in Kyiv in 2007. It was his dream and goal to open such a pub, he said, as he enjoyed Irish drinks and Irish drinking culture much more than that of the Soviet Union.
Despite having never visited Ireland, the warmth and special history of Irish pubs appealed to him, he said.
To capture this warmth, Mr Syvolapenko sought the help of a Dublin-based design company.
As he puts it, people who "know traditions at a deep level".
The gratitude the pub holds for designers Neil Collins and Sean McKenna is so great that a photo of them is proudly hung in the pub.
To Dublin doubles as a brewery of homegrown alcohols but also offers a selection of Irish alcohol, including whiskeys and stout.
Locals consider To Dublin to be a cult location, and a visit feels like "a little trip to Ireland", Mr Syvolapenko said.
"A place where it is possible to feel the atmosphere of Ireland and still be in Kyiv".
He said that with the war making foreign travel more difficult, people appreciated a different culture being accessible in the city.
The pub closed for a month in February 2022, but was one of the first premises in the area to reopen their doors.
It is "pretty hard and dangerous" to keep the pub open during the war, Mr Syvolapenko said, adding that eight people were killed last summer when a Russian missile struck 400 metres from the pub.
When the war ends, Mr Syvolapenko intends to visit Ireland with his family and experience for himself what he has been providing in Kyiv for years.
"It will not only be a cultural trip but also a real gastronomical expedition to the best Irish pubs.
"We are very interested to see their atmosphere, feel the local flavour, communicate with visitors and learn from their unique experience to further improve our restaurant".
The Shamrock Pub in Dnipro first opened in 2002. It closed in 2019 before opening again under new management at the end of last year.
Vlad Ozerov joined the bar as a waiter but later was involved in the design of it and also gives lectures on art, becoming what he described as "the soul of Shamrock".
"The connection to Ireland isn’t based on family ties," said Mr Ozerov, but rather the owners spent time in Ireland and used their experiences to "have deeply influenced" what the pub became.
Portraits of Irish cultural icons such as Oscar Wilde and James Joyce are hung on the walls of the pub, with Celtic designs seen throughout.
"It can be incredibly challenging" to keep the pub open during the war, Mr Ozerov said, "but at Shamrock we see these hardships as a reminder of how precious our fleeting life really is.
"Our decision to keep our doors open isn't about ignoring the difficulties. It's about defying them. It's our quiet act of rebellion.
"We don't ignore the danger. We simply hold onto hope".
An Irish perspective
Vinny Haughney is from Clogherhead in Co Louth, but for the past four years he has called Ukraine home.
A former garda, he now works alongside Ukrainian police investigating international crimes and regularly socialises with other Irish people in the country.
The pub scene and nightlife in Ukraine was very healthy before the war, he said, but now the curfew forces everywhere to close by 11pm.
"I see it as my duty, as in we go out and we try to spend money and try to keep some of the bars going. A lot of men that are not at the frontline are afraid to go to bars because they have been raided by the police trying to conscript them," he said.
The drinking and pub culture in Ukraine has always been different and "sterile" compared to home, he said, but Ukrainians "have a good understanding of Irish history and Irish culture", are welcoming and are keen to learn.
"The Guinness is not bad, but not great," Mr Haughney said, adding that he has had to teach some of the bar staff how to pour a pint.
"There’s only about three bars in Kyiv in which you can get Guinness, and it can be hit and miss. It’s generally the pour and the glass they get wrong rather than the content.
"But look, we’re in Kyiv, we're not complaining really."
