Think Ireland, think pubs. Think Ireland, think music. So naturally, we’re taking advantage of both. And a main difference between English pubs and Irish ones is that here pubs are often music venues too. (We love this kind of efficiency!) It would take us many many months to explore all of the pubs, even in our own neighbourhood of the Liberties, because there are an awful lot of them. But we have had time to pick out a few favourite Irish pubs. Don’t worry, though: we’ll keep scouting…
In our five-plus weeks in Dublin, we’ve been to a couple of dozen pubs, some repeatedly. We enjoy the atmosphere of the places and the laid-back nature of the people working there. The Irish sense of humour is much in evidence, and you can always find someone to talk to. Each one has its own character: some pubs serve full meals, including breakfast, and some serve no food at all. Some cater to families, some to young people. Some focus on sports; we recently watched a hurling match with a group of new friends. Many are old; most are beautiful. With the exception of a few ‘late pubs’ which close at 2.30, most places take last orders at 23.30, and on Fridays and Saturdays 0.30. (If you know us, you’ll know that we’re long gone by this time!) It’s been fun to experience the different vibe that each pub has.
And the same is true of the music. Not every pub has music, but the majority have at least one music night a week (sometimes every single night!) We expected, perhaps foolishly, that Irish music would be the main type one hears in a pub. But even in our relatively few visits, we’ve heard it all. And, of course, Ireland is the home of Van Morrison, Sinéad O’Connor, U2, Enya, and quite a number of other famous contemporary musicians.
It’s a little difficult to define traditional Irish music, but – like pornography – you’ll know it when you see it. There’s nearly always a fiddle, sometimes bagpipes or an accordion; tin whistles and harps or harpsichords and double-sided drums are also regular features. Aside from the rhythm, which is fairly distinctive across many subgenres like the jig, the reel, and the shanty, we think the lyrics are most distinctive. Irish music, like many indigenous musical traditions, is a form of oral poetry, passed down over generations. Its themes are the usual – love and loss – with particular spins that derive from Irish history. There’s also a lot about rebellion and imprisonment, about the sea and sailors, and about drinking.
We’ve already mentioned our closest pub, The Brazen Head, their claim to fame being that they are the oldest pub in Ireland. It is not a bad place, but after one visit there we decided that the hordes of tourists ruined the atmosphere somewhat, so we’ve been going elsewhere for our refreshment and our music.
We avoid touristy places, but we had to try Darkey Kelly‘s pub, a short walk from our flat. The eponymous Ms. Kelly was burned at the stake for witchcraft in the 18th century. She ran a brothel and, allegedly, was one of the earliest female serial killers; several men’s bodies were found in the basement. (An Irishman we know speculated that these might have been badly-behaving customers). Murders aside, the evening we went, we found the place absolutely packed. The music was traditional, and the audience sang along and sometimes even danced.
One ill-advised Saturday evening we decided to find a pub in Temple Bar. Temple Bar is full of tourists drinking, carousing, and engaging in various forms of anti-social behaviour. We’ve failed to find places we like there; the music is often too loud and not in the least bit Irish. (Though we did hear a nice acoustic version of ‘Jolene’!)
Some pubs have neither music nor sports, but we like the atmosphere of them. A few weeks ago, we accidentally stumbled in to the Lincoln’s Inn, right near Trinity College Dublin and across the street from the National Gallery of Ireland. Our server is one of the funniest people we’ve ever met, and also one of the friendlist. Our second visit was made memorable by the fact that one of us spilled an entire pint of cider on a visiting relative (sorry, still!). They brought us another, right away. Now that’s class. For some reason, though, the servers there always recognise us there. And they tend to keep their distance when taking our order.
But of the Irish pubs we’ve been to so far, our very favourite is our local, is O’Shea’s Merchant. We go there regularly to hear music. The performers vary, and we love the Sunday-night duo there (guitar and tin whistle). They perform contemporary and traditional songs with great verve. And, unlike many places that we’ve been, the volume is not deafening, so you can actually enjoy the music and have a conversation at the same time. Plus the seafood chowder is excellent!
