Jenny Pacillo
For Worcester native Michael Villa, writing Pints and Power was never just about Guinness. It was about uncovering the rituals, history, and shared identity that live within a pint glass. What began as a curiosity sparked by his daughter’s time in Ireland turned into a full manuscript that blends memoir, cultural exploration, and history.
Villa traces the origins of the project back to the pandemic, when his daughter’s study abroad plans at Holy Cross were derailed. Instead, she eventually made her way to Cork, Ireland, where she spent two years working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and, as Villa recalls, falling in love. “We packed her up, sent her on her way, and sure enough, we went over to visit,” he says. “From the moment we stepped off the plane onto that island of 50,000 shades of green, we were captivated by the people, the history, and, yes, the Guinness.”
That fascination sparked questions: what role does Guinness play in shaping the modern Irish identity? How did a brewery founded by Arthur Guinness in 1759 become not just a global brand, but a cultural symbol? “I wondered what I could say about how Guinness is woven into what it means to be Irish,” Villa explains, “The more I dug in, the more I realized there’s something here.”
The book traces Guinness from its roots at St. James’s Gate in Dublin to pubs across the world, paying particular attention to how Irish immigrants carried the traditions of the pint with them. Villa shows how Guinness became more than a beverage, it became a ritual. The pour, the patience, the conversations around the table: each one a thread in a much larger cultural fabric.
Across its 11 chapters, Pints and Power includes dozens of interviews and more than 100 references. But it isn’t only an academic look at Irish history. Villa’s voice runs throughout, reflecting on his own travels and the ways community is built through something as simple as raising a glass. He also makes room for the more complicated side of drinking culture, dedicating space to addiction and recovery. “We can’t talk about Guinness without also acknowledging the harm alcohol can cause,” Villa says. “That balance was important to me.”
One chapter, The Pint Abroad, brings the story close to home by exploring the role Irish immigrants played in Worcester’s development. Villa highlights the story of Tobias Boland, who brought hundreds of Irish workers to Worcester in the 1820s to help build the Blackstone Canal. At the time, Irish families faced discrimination, they were excluded from burial grounds, forced into shantytowns and kept on the margins. Yet they laid the foundation of the city, from canals and railroads to churches and schools. “By the time Boland passed away, Worcester had transformed,” Villa notes. “The Irish had laid down roots.”
It’s no coincidence that Villa’s local pub, Boland’s, became a touchstone in his research and writing. “There’s something about sharing a pint there that captures the spirit of what I felt in Ireland,” he says. “It’s about people, place, and connection.”
Alongside history and reflection, Villa includes songs, poetry, and portraits of real people from pub owners and musicians to everyone’s favorite local characters. who embody the living culture he set out to capture. Worcester musician Mike Ladd even appears in the book, with lyrics that echo the immigrant experience.
Though Villa is not a historian by training, he immersed himself in research with guidance from Irish historian Davey Holden. “I wanted the book to have weight,” Villa says, “It’s well-footnoted, grounded in fact, but also makes connections that I think are uniquely mine.”
Pints and Power launched last month with a book signing at Boland’s. Hardcover and paperback copies are available there, with additional sales online at pintandpower.com. Villa plans to place copies in local shops after returning from Ireland this fall, where his daughter’s wedding will be celebrated.
For him, the book defies easy categorization. Villa describes it as “a history book, a memoir, a beer book…none of them and all of them.” What it is, ultimately, is a study of belonging. “It’s not a memoir, it’s not just history, and it’s not just a beer book,” he says, “It’s about people. It’s about how stories and shared experiences shape who we are. Guinness is part of that story, but really, it’s the people who give it meaning.”