October 18, 2004

No tour of Ireland would be complete without the requisite visits to the most famous and distinguishing features of this island: the pubs. The Irish are very serious about having fun and, as a bumper sticker on one of the incredibly tiny cars parked outside my window reads, “Every night is Saturday night; Every day is Saturday night.”

I’ve been to quite a few pubs in the area and it’s easy to see why they’re so famous. Each one has its own unique character and you can tell that some of these places have been here forever. One of my favorites is Maggie May’s, which claims to have been a frequent meeting place for Theobald Wolfe Tone and the other United Irishmen who were the leading Irish nationalists and separatists in the 1780s and 90s.

While some of the pubs clearly cater to the younger college crowd, Maggie May’s is a place where you are more likely to find little old men who resemble leprechauns. A back room often features traditional Irish music and dancing. I quickly discovered that participation is pretty much mandatory at places like this and if you don’t know how to do a jig, you will learn fairly quickly.

Another interesting thing about the Irish pubs that sets them apart from American bars is the fact that they are open all day and welcome unexpected crowds. Pubs are quite crowded at lunchtime because many of them, like Maggie May’s, function as full-time restaurants up through dinnertime. In fact, that is the best place to go to eat if you want the really traditional Irish fare, like meat stews and potato bread. Other places have completely unrelated daytime functions. One pub we saw even doubles as a library! In fact, it seems like almost any type of business at all could become a part-time pub.