“Don’t Encourage Them.”

Even though there are at least seven pubs open in Clifden during the winter months, I found myself back on the same bar stool at Griffin’s around 8 pm. The music was unbelievable. Two men and two guitars and the whole bar singing the chorus…kind of those rebel songs…. The West’s’ Awake…The West’s’ Awake. Tearful tunes sung loud to drown out any of the old sadness that the Guinness may have missed.

Don’t get me wrong. Ireland seems a happy place today.

At a break I wandered up to the small bandstand asking the singer, “Does your mother know you have such a fine Irish voice?”

“She’ll be here in a 1/2. You can ask her yourself,” he said

Only six of the town’s pubs have live music every night. On Tuesday night they are all packed…sippers and shooters and football nuts and some guy intent on reading Joyce in the corner.

“My dad is playing up at Lowry’s and my brother is part of a band over at Malarkey’s,” continued the singer. “Mom’s holding down the stage on her own up the street at the Central until about 10. We’re all playing together at Mitchell’s on Saturday. Will you still be in town?” he asked as if we were cousins.

“Guinness isn’t cheap but socializing is free so you need to find the balance. That way you come home with a few coins at least,” said 88-year-old Mr. McCrery, a local farmer who still works his land and has been a fixture at Griffin’s since 1950.

I don’t have to get back to Dublin until Monday. I think I’ll hang out in this absolutely charming town and catch the whole family performing together. I know I’d kick myself if I didn’t, and besides I’m supposed to go fishing with a retired Cork policeman who tells gold medal lies about his 30-year career with a straight face. Imagine that.

– Kevin Haley

BONUS:

Q. How could a person spend the entire day walking the streets of Dublin City without passing so much as one pub?

A: Go into all of them