Dub day 2 and then some

As fate would have it, on a random Sunday afternoon, I managed to land my arse in the oldest pub in Ireland (or so they claim).  Brazen Head Pub established in 1198 ... www.brazenhead.com.  And as fate would have it, the daily live entertainment was about to begin. The only seat left in the pub was next to the musicians and probably the best seat in the house.. Lucky me 

The entertainment was to begin at 3:30 sharp. And at 3:30 there was no indication that they would begin anytime soon.   3 older gentleman to start and 3 more who ambled they're way in w/in the hour. By 4:30 things were in full swing, and the place was hoppin.

6 crazy ole Irishmen and  11 different instruments between them:  2 guitars, a flute, hand crafted banjo, the accordion, another type of squeeze box, the fiddle, a set of cow bells, the Irish drum thing, wispy drums, and the magical man playing the spoons!!  And they were all characters in their own right which made it that more awesome.

One guy ordered a water, dropped some alkaseltzer and chuggaluged... clearly he had had a rough night. The next guy started doing bumps of snuff (tobacco that u snort.  Typically enjoyed after dinner when served coffee).  one guy was drinking hot tea n whiskey while another stumbled in later w/ a half lit roll your own "cigarette". These guys were hilarious. Totally unprofessional but 1000% real... the way it should be.  They had a bell they would ring to keep the audience under control, or grab our attention when a song included some sort of audience participation.  And they sang the best of the best Irish Pub tunes (often times singing the naughty, alternative versions which I had never heard before and definitely can't repeat in my PG13 blog).

I basically had to be pried outta there. I love live music, I love pints, and I love getting to know the locals- i coulda stayed there all evening. With so many other things to see and explore it was time to bust a move. But a unique experience for sure and one I will cherish.

I have since left Dublin but will be returning again for a few days before going back to the States. Today we drove down the coast and hit up some sights along the way... All great! Tomorrow it's off to kiss the Blarney Stone, then make my way to the town of Listowel where I will be staying for a week or so.

No clue about Internet. It's been pretty hit or miss thus far.  And for some reason I can't post pics on my blog. But not to fear. I'm documenting everything and have albums in the works.  Pics and more blogs to follow.  Slainté