Saturday nite's after dinner music was provided by our "Tour Minders", James and Donnie, aka: Men of Worth.
LOL! NOT to be confused with "Men of Girth"! : http://www.menofworth.com/Later that night...
At this stage I was waaaay overdue to go on a
real Irish Pub Crawl. (NOT to be confused with bar hop! LOL!) So Mark (another in our group of dumb American tourists) and I set out on foot into the brisk, even magical, air of the Irish night bound for tiny "downtown" Drumshanbo where we had been told several pubs could be found.
I felt like I was Walking on Air! Well the first and second pubs we encountered were packed with patrons and musicians! Hardly even standing room was visible from the doorway! We decided to split up and try to find our own way. I walked alone, further into the village, and soon arrived at a doorway to another tiny pub packed as the others. I decided I must, somehow, wiggle in.
The place was hopping with local musicians and vocalists deep into their
Trad music session. To my utter surprise, at that moment, a man stood up to leave and offered me his stool at the bar.
I Immediately ordered a pint of Guinness and sat to enjoy the MUSIC!
Suddenly, here I was in a tiny village pub, deep in rural Ireland, enjoying a Guinness, served properly, and listening to local musicians and vocalists doing what they do all the time! It could not have been more wonderful!
The bar minders were several and mostly young. In time (between tunes and songs) me and one of the bar minders struck up a conversation about motorcycle racing. He was a big fan as am I. We talked about the current news and stars of Moto GP. I asked him if he was following the amazing two Ulstermen
Johnny Rea and
Eugene Laverty in FIM World Superbike. He said, unfortunately, they don't get World Superbike on TV. Then he asked me if I have ever heard of Joey Dunlop from Ballymoney! I replied,
Joey Dunlop? Are you kidding? One of the greatest true road racers of all time! So we talked about Joey and his amazing little brother Robert, who are now both deceased from doing what they loved.
As time went on I was feeling a bit underdressed in a button down shirt without tie. Many of the male patrons were in shirit 'n tie and even coat and many of the ladies were in very pretty dresses.
Ordering my second pint, a couple, about my age, came in and two gentleman to my right got up to leave and offered them their stools. As it would develope Sheamus and Eileen would be very warm and friendly to me.
VERY briefly... Eileen was closest to me, introduced herself and himself, and was very interested in me, where I was from, and what I was doing in Ireland. Of course I was equally interested in them. Sheamus was in coat and tie and Eileen was dolled up in a very pretty dress making me feel a bit low. Anyway, we had a wonderful ramblinging converstaion that included how happy Eileen was to be recently retired, how Sheamus would need to keep working forever, and how excited I was to soon visit Leo's Tavern in Gweedore, Co. Donegal.
Eileen didn't know about Leo's and asked,
Oh, do you have family up there? I replied No! and explained. It turned out she knew well of Clannad, Moya, Enya, etc. but did not know of Leo's.
I thank Sheamus and Eileen for being so warm and open to me and adding immeasurably to my experience of rural Ireland!
And I offer this brief, anecdotal, account only to demonstrate that the Irish people are as warm and friendly as any people, anywhere.
Here are two pictuers I took of the
Session in that pub:
I grant you it it the simplest things in life that I admire, and enjoy, most.