As
evening approached in the village of Doolin, it was time for dinner and a bit
of entertainment!
This is
Gus O’Connor’s Pub, one of the better known or famous pubs in Doolin. I had selected it for our evening meal and
for a chance to listen to some authentic Irish music. Our hostess at the Daly House Bed and
Breakfast had applauded my choice…
The stone
structure at the right is where the bar and music magic happens but the
one-story white building at the left is a big dining room that is connected to
the pub portion of the establishment.
It was a
week night at the end of September but Gus O’Connor’s Pub was packed! The good news was that finding a table on the
dining room side of the operation wasn’t too difficult when we arrived at a
relatively early hour.
How long
has Gus O’Connor’s Pub been around?
Well, the fact is that it was established way back in 1832. At one point it also sold groceries… As they
say, “The craic happens here since 1832”.
FYI…Craic is an Irish term for news, gossip, fun, entertainment and
enjoyable conversation.
Later…after
our dinner…it was a different story. We
found one small table in a corner…then we got lucky, capturing a table near the
center of the action!
…but back
to the food! Bill started out with a
special, a beautiful half dozen Oysters fresh from the Atlantic Ocean…
Bonnie
more than matched Bill’s oyster appetizer with this huge and luscious
bowl of Doolin Mussels. (13.50E/$16.20 US) Bill snagged a few of these mussels too...
Laurie ordered
this attractive entrée of Tiger Prawns in a garlic cream sauce with rice on the
side. (21.95E/$26.35 US) They were a bit pricy but they were delicious!
I decided
on the Beef and Guinness Stew for my dinner. (13.95E/$16, 75 US) It looked good
and it was very satisfying and tasty.
That gravy was good enough to drink!
Bill
ordered lamb with mashed potatoes. It
isn’t on the current menu so I don’t know what it cost, but I do know that Bill
enjoyed his dinner! It sure looked good
to me…and it had been my second choice after that Guinness stew.
Both
couples followed up their dinners with a dessert…with Bonnie and Bill sharing
this ice cream sundae selection...actually a trio of ice cream flavors.
(4.50E/$5.40 US)
Laurie
and I shared Gus O’Connor’s homemade Apple Crumble. (5.50E/$6.60 US) It was a
nice way to finish our meal…
After
dinner we began working our way into the bar or pub side of Gus O’Connor’s in
order to gain a vantage point for the entertainment. This amateur group was playing early in the
evening…
Doolin is
world famous as a center for listening to quality traditional music and Gus
O’Connor’s Pub is considered by many as the center of that musical
universe. Some say that Doolin’ music
culture is the equivalent of what jazz is to New Orleans…
At the
request of the crowd, this older Irish gentleman stood up at one point and sang
an old Irish ballad to an appreciative audience.
We were
glad Gus O’Connor’s was within easy walking distance from our bed and
breakfast. After a few pints of
Smithwick’s (4.50E/$5.40 US) or a local lager (4.80E/$5.75), driving wouldn’t
have been a good idea!
Another
local sang and used an old time squeeze box or accordion to entertain the
patrons. Most of these ‘amateur’
musicians didn’t even put up a tip jar…they were just doing it for fun and the
crowd’s appreciation.
I noticed
this wall of patches. When I looked
closely, I discovered that these are police uniform patches from around the
world! From North America, I noted
patches from Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia Canada. The USA was represented by hundreds of
patches including New York City, San Diego County California, Lake County
Montana, the Iowa Highway Patrol, Miami Beach Florida and the town of
Washington Missouri. Bill found it especially interesting since he’s a retired police officer from Missouri…
We had
great seats when the professional musicians took over the entertainment at
about 9 p.m. The music started flowing
and it didn’t let up except for a short break for the group…
FYI…The
Micho Russell Festival Weekend is held in Doolin each year after the last
Friday in February. Micho Russell was an
Irish musician and author who was well known for his expertise in whistle
performance and in playing the flute. In
addition, he was a collector of traditional music and Irish folklore.
At one
point we had 2 accordion players in the group…
As a side
note, while I was waiting my turn at the bar for more beer, I found myself in a
conversation with a woman from the USA who worked for one my primary security
vendors when I was still running the loss prevention/asset protection operation
at Montgomery Ward. We had a chance to
catch up on a lot of folks that we knew in common. Small world!
Then the
lady with the red hair was invited to join the gathering and she played the
spoons… Everyone had a great time!
Other
well-known Pubs or Bars in Doolin with regular performances of traditional
Irish music include: Fitzpatrick’s or Fitz’s, founded in 2006 (https://www.hoteldoolin.ie/);
McDermott’s, founded in 1867 (http://mcdermottspub.com/), and; McGann’s, founded in 1976 (http://www.mcgannspubdoolin.com/).
We all
had a great time at Gus O’Connor’s Pub.
The food and beer were great, the people were friendly and the music was
a lot of fun! To learn more about Gus
O’Connor’s Pub, its history and its menu, just go to https://www.gusoconnorspubdoolin.net/.
The next
morning was overcast, windy and the skies were spitting rain. Nevertheless, with my penchant for the water and
boats, I had to drive down to Doolin’s docks to check things out…
It’s all
about passenger ferry boats and the tourist trade at this little harbor. The boat in the foreground is named “The
Happy Hooker” and she belongs to Aran Doolin Ferries, Ltd. The large boat at the left of the photo is
the “Doolin Express” and she belongs to Bill O’Brien’s Doolin Ferry
Company. I was unable to identify the 3rd
boat in the mist, fog and rain…
The Happy
Hooker is just one of four boats operated by Aran Doolin Ferries, Ltd. This company offers several tours in addition
to service out to the Aran Island.
Website: https://www.doolinferries.com/.
The “Doolin
Express” is the largest passenger ferry operating out of Doolin Harbor. She can accommodate 190 passengers and the
Doolin Ferry Company claims to be Doolin’s original ferry company. Website: https://www.doolinferry.com/book-aran-island-trips/.
It was a
bit bleak at Doolin’s pier on this day…but I did notice that despite the
weather, the ferry services were open for business. Even the snack shack at the right of the
photo was open for business! As for
ourselves, it was time to move on to our next destination…
To see
many beautiful photos of Doolin and the surrounding area, go to https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=doolin+ireland&id=DAB7D4CECF94B8FC3D50544F3DC2910C87F16FFB&FORM=IARRTH.
FYI…Doolin
Ireland is the main setting for the 2007 PlayStation 3 game entitled “Folklore”. According to the game’s storyline, the world
of the dead is a realm that can only be accessed from one place in the world,
the sea-side village of Doolin.
That’s it
for now. Just click on any of the photos
to enlarge them…
Thanks
for stopping by for a visit!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
Am thankful of looking at your post, friend Dave ... as doing much crying as Winter will not leave as of yet ... thank you for making me smile today ... Love, cat.
ReplyDeleteYou discovered another gem in Ireland. Ireland has a lot of overcast, rainy and windy days-I think it adds to the character of this beautiful country. As always, thank for letting us go on the adventure with you.
ReplyDeleteVelva
Everything about Gus' Pub sounds fantastic, especially the Irish Music.
ReplyDeleteWoo hoo, Dave! Sounds like a good time was had at Gus'! Bet the music was great, as well as the food. That is just cool with the police patches! Thanks and have a wonderful rest of the week!
ReplyDelete