A Buck Off the Irish

As you raise your glass of Guinness tomorrow to toast St. Patrick and his Irish patronage, you may want to consider putting some of your money where your mouth is.

Why not invest some of your green in the Emerald Isle, which is also known as the Celtic Tiger for its economic strength?

You could start with the one Irish beverage everyone has heard of. OK, maybe Guinness isn't a pure Irish investment play. The brewer merged with Grand Metropolitan in 1997 to form Diageo (DEO Quote), a globally diversified beverage company with brands such as Smirnoff vodka and Gordon's gin. And the company is based in London.

But Guinness is still considered a national drink of Ireland, and no matter where its corporate headquarters are, the dry stout was born and raised at St. James's Gate in Dublin and has been a mainstay in the country for almost 350 years. ...