For a brief time be not of this place, but let your spirit take flight across the gray sea and verdant ground. To the land of Carolan and Joyce. A domain where words, voice and song become one in celebration of God’s grand design!
No matter how hard she tried, Hurricane Irene can’t take this great pub away from us!!
Hurricane Irene has left her mark on my home state of New Jersey, and especially on one of my favorite pubs, the Kilkenny House in Cranford, New Jersey.
St. Pattys Day crowd at the Kilkenny House in Cranford, NJ
When I am not moonlighting as a writer for APHR, I am a professional musician. And I have been playing this place for the past couple of years. To say it is one of my favorite places to work would be an understatement. Great drink, great food, the Kilkenny truly has it all. But most importantly, the people who work there, and the regulars who drink there, have always made me feel right at home.
Earlier in the week, I was told by some friends in the area that the Kilkenny House was devastated by the flooding from Irene. I did some poking around the internet and found this sobering report on CNN.com.
photo by nj.com
I have total confidence that the Kilkenny’s owner Barry O’Donovan will rebuild this fantastic pub back to her former glory. And as they posted on their Facebook page earlier in the week “Oh, but what a great Irish hoolie we will have when that day comes!”
I am not sure what we pub fanatics can do to help, but one thing I can promise is that when the day comes for that hoolie to happen, you will find me that morning waiting at the door so I can get a seat at the bar nice and early. Good Luck and Best Wishes to everyone at the Kilkenny!!
by Dave McBride
Remembering the Civil War
Today marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of our Civil War, the seminal event in American History. Though it seems this important historical date has gone largely forgotten by the media, we here at Pub Talk would like to do our part in commemorating this event.
Gettysburg's Eternal Light Peace Memorial
This week, we will look back at some of the best Civil War influenced pubs and music featured on the American Public House Review. We begin today with a pub in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania which happens to also be my personal favorite watering hole found in town, O’Rorkes Eatery and Spirits.
O'Rorke's Eatery and Spirts in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
O’Rorke’s may not be the centuries old, bullet-ridden place one may expect to find in a town like Gettysburg. But don’t let that deter you one but. Sit at the bar here, and you will find yourself immersed in the spirit of this haunting town. Before long, you too will notice that you keep passing the other taverns by for a seat at the bar in O’Rorkes.
By Dave McBride
How I spent my Saint Patrick’s Day
Saint Patrick’s Day is certainly a fun day for me, but is also a very busy one. I make my living as a musician, and I have been known to sing more than a few Irish folk tunes in my day. So St. Patty’s Day, while certainly a fun celebration, is a big business day for me as well. This year, like the last few years, I spent it playing at an exemplary Irish pub in Cranford, NJ called the Kilkenny House.
St. Pattys Day crowd at the Kilkenny House spills out into the streets
First, let me just say I simply love this place. It is a true Irish pub, run by great people and frequented by regulars who love Irish music, good drink, and a great pub. On Saint Patrick’s Day it seems all the regulars come to celebrate at their favorite place and they each bring a dozen of their best friends with them! Needless to say the place was predictably packed, so much so that the crowd spilled out onto the the streets, soaking in the wonderful weather and the perfect pints.
Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale
Speaking of perfect pints, the Kilkenny House had a pleasantly welcome surprise for me on this most joyous of holidays. It seems the week before they received a few barrels of my favorite Irish beer, Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale. Like I said a couple of weeks ago on this blog, if you were able to find this brew at your Irish Pub of choice on Saint Patrick’s Day you should consider yourself luck. Well, thankfully that luck found me!
By Dave McBride
Countdown to St. Pattys Day; a tribute to Luke Kelly
Today’s stop on Pub Talk’s Countdown to St. Patty’s Day takes us to the enchanting world of Irish music as we pay tribute to one of it’s iconic singers, Luke Kelly.
a portrait of Luke Kelly by Brendan Higgins
Luke Kelly was born in Dublin in 1940 and grew up in a working class family. He spent some of his early years as a musician in England, but returned to Dublin where he met the men who would soon become the Dubliners. The band made its start at the now famous O’Donoghue’s Pub sessions. I was told Kelly himself suggested the band name the group “The Dubliners” after the James Joyce book, but I don’t know that for certain. (Makes a great story though, if true)
Kelly had that combination of frustration and tenderness in his voice that somehow defines the very spirit of Dublin before the Celtic Tiger years. His delivery was no doubt one of passion and strength. But there was a palpable sincerity to him that few singers in any genre have ever repeated.
O'Donoghues Pub in Dublin
The Dubliners are a group that have been somewhat lost to the american Irish-folk scene, but perhaps that was not entirely an accident. I once heard the band’s fiddler John Sheahan explain how when they came to United States to play the Ed Sullivan Show. Sullivan refused to allow them to play their hit “Seven Drunken Nights”, a playful song with a lyric not befitting Sullivan’s famously stringent moral standards. The band played something else instead, but the experience convinced them that the States were just too stuffy for their brand of raucous pub music and they never really tried to break into the market again. In hindsight, it was probably the best decision they ever made because the Dubliners and Luke Kelly certainly didn’t need any restraints.
Rather than present a song from Luke Kelly himself or the Dubliners, I would like to present you with a wonderful tribute to Kelly by a great singer named Billy Mulligan. We presented Mulligan’s “Song for Luke Kelly” some time back on the APHR Jukebox. Click here and enjoy!
by Dave McBride
Pub Talk’s Countdown to St. Patty’s Day; Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale
Today, Pub Talk beings the countdown to our favorite holiday on the calendar, Saint Patrick’s Day. To get our readers ready for this fantastic day, we here at Pub Talk and the American Public House Review will present you will some suggestion on what to drink and where to drink it. (Safely and responsibly, of course.) And a few photos from the Emerald Isle.
Let us begin with a beer that may prove difficult to find in some parts of the United States, Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale. It seems to be in very limited release in the New World, but if you happen to come across this little liquid gem in your local Irish pub consider yourself lucky.
Kilkenny Ale is brewed in what is claimed to be the oldest operating brewery in Ireland, the Smithwick’s brewery in Kilkenny which has a brewing tradition that dates back to the 13th century. It is a “cream” ale and it pours in much the same way Boddington’s does, but it is has a color and taste along the lines of an amber ale like Smithwick’s. This combination creates a truly delicious brew.
Kilkenny is a staple on the Emerald Isle, as well as in Irish pubs in Canada and the United Kingdom. For years it was unavailable to thirsty Irish pub patrons in the USA. However, in 2009 it finally made it’s debut in the colonies at The Dubliner, Washington, D.C.’s most famous drinking hole. (And while we are at it let us add The Dubliner to our Pub Talk guide to St. Patty’s Day. It is a truly great Irish pub!)
For me, Kilkenny defined my drinking experience during my trip to Ireland. While it is certainly true Ireland’s pub’s are filled with great libations, including the best pint of Guinness you will ever find, whenever the bartender would ask for my order I seemed to always drift toward Kilkenny. Perhaps it was the novelty of having something I could not find back home, but I think it was more the flavor that was the attraction. It’s time to end the tragically limited release of this wonderful brew and bring it to the masses
by Dave McBride
Setting the Stage for a Damn Good Brawl
Robot Painting by Eric Joyner
Even before the 111th Congress was done packing their valises and war chests to head home for the Christmas break, the pundits and pols were already checking their fight cards and placing their wagers on the next match between the red and the blue. Like most Americans I’m tired of the incessant political donnybrooks at our expense; but still there is a certain measure of gratuitous satisfaction one gets from watching a good scuffle now and then.
It isn’t so much the landed blows that I take pleasure in, as it is the strategy and fancy footwork beforehand. A well staged brawl can truly be considered an impressive bit of handiwork. And before returning to Washington, both Democrats and Republicans might want to take a few cues from the masters of this art form.
During a recent journey along the Maine Coast, American Public House Review staff editor David McBride visited Bull Feeney’s in Portland, Maine. This fine Irish Pub is named in honor of John Martin Feeney, the son of John Augustine Feeney, a well-respected saloonkeeper that established several taverns throughout the city during the late 1800s. His son was nicknamed “Bull” because of his aggressive headfirst charges into the opposing line while playing fullback at Portland High School. This spirited rugged nature would serve him well in later years while working on location in the harsh terrain of Utah’s Monument Valley.
In July of 1914, John Martin Feeney headed west to California to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Francis, who had established himself as both an actor and director in the early years of Hollywood. And like his elder brother, John would change his last name from Feeney to Ford.
This future iconic American director would eventually go on to redefine the craft of film making and cinematography. Few in the industry could match his skill for storytelling, or for being able to stage a good fight. Since Ford had a habit of socializing and professionally collaborating with the rough and tumble types, those classic onscreen contests to determine who was the better man came easy. Amongst the combatants was the pugnacious Victor McLaglen, who actually at one time went six rounds against then Heavyweight Champion of the World Jack Johnson.
So before we convene the next Congress, I suggest that all members of the House, Senate and Executive Branch make a careful study of the bravado, bluster and style of Top Sgt. Quincannon in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and that of one Squire ‘Red Will” Danaher in The Quiet Man.
So let’s shake hands and come out fighting. And remember gentlemen, The Marquess of Queensberry rules will be observed on all occasions.
Posted by: Chris Poh
Irish Music and a great Irish Pub
Few things in this world go together as well as traditional Irish music and a great Irish pub. Last month, those of us lucky enough to be in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania got to see the fruits of such a great combination as the High Kings, one of Ireland’s best folk groups, played at Brittingham’s, a truly fine Irish pub.
The High Kings are Ireland’s latest “supergroup” of folk music, with all four members coming to the band with enormous resumes and impressive pedigree. Martin Furey and Finbarr Clancy come from perhaps the two most prominent families in Irish music history, while Brian Dunphy and Darren Holden joined the band after careers spanning from Ireland to Broadway and back again. Together they bring a new yet solidly traditional take on some of Ireland’s best known and loved folksongs.
The High Kings made their name in Irish music with a PBS special that is not at all representative of what the band is now. The polished performance of old has been replaced by what is now a raucous and romping Irish band. Yes, you will have to put the pint down every once in a while to clap or sing.
Last month they blew the doors off of Brittingham’s pub in Lafayette Hill, PA. The Kings played two fantastic shows for an eager crowd, and Brittingham’s provided just the right setting for the night. If you get a chance and are in the area, check out Brittingham’s.
And while you are there, take the few steps up the street to the General Lafayette Inn and Brewery, a terrific brewpub we featured in APHR.
Posted by: David McBride
In Dublin’s fair city
As I mentioned in my article “Valhalla on the Liffey,” the plan for my first visit to Dublin was to tour as many of the city’s historic pubs as I possibly could. The idea was to eat some dinner before heading out on our “crawl”. But as the article says, I never crawled any further than my barstool at the Brazen Head. However, before dinner I did manage a couple of quick stops at two of Dublin’s most famous watering holes.
The first boasts perhaps the most beautiful exterior of any pub in Dublin, O’Neill’s on Suffolk Street. While the license dates back centuries, the present day pub was built in the first half of the 20th Century. However, you can see the kind of influence this place has had on Irish pubs in the United States. How many spots in the U.S. have been influenced by this place?
The other pub I managed to get in a quick visit to, and had all intentions of going back later in the evening, was the Stag’s Head on Dame Court. You will have a hard time finding anything written about Dublin that does not mention this place. It is a bonafide Dublin institution.
The Stag’s Head sneaks up on you, being tucked away on a street that can easily be mistaken for an alley. But make no mistake, when it comes to Dublin’s taverns this is the cathedral. It’s has a majestic interior, but still manages to keep the kind of warm atmosphere one quickly recognizes in all of Dublin’s great pubs. I didn’t manage to take any photos of the interior of the Stag’s Head, so I guess you will just have to hop over the pond and check it out for yourself. Believe me, it’s worth the trip.
by Dave McBride
Finding the New Spirit of the Molly Maguires in Jim Thorpe, PA
Standing on the heights above Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania one can not help but get a sense of the powerful mystique that pervades this historic American town. Every door and window beckons to those that care enough to hear the tale. Step through these portals and meet the ghosts of our past and the spirit of our future.
I began this year’s annual March pilgrimage with a pint and a song at the quiet shebeen located off the back parlor of the Gilded Cupid Bed and Breakfast. My cup was filled with Guinness, and my ears were filled with a tune trumpeting the struggles and exploits of the Molly Maguires. In past years, I would have raised that first glass honoring those intrepid Irish colliers from a bar stool at the old Molly Maguire’s Pub; but unfortunately that celebrated saloon on Broadway, like so many of the region’s anthracite mines, is no longer in operation.
But Jim Thorpe is that resilient community that epitomizes the grit and fortitude of the nation. Today once more you can hear the coal cars of the Reading and Northern Railroad rolling through the Lehigh Gorge from the outside deck of the recently reincarnated Molly Maguires Pub. It was there that I ended this year’s journey – raising a final pint in tribute to both the Irish heart and the American spirit!
All of us at American Public House Review wish everyone a very happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Click here to enjoy some suitable Irish tunes for the celebration.
Posted by: Chris Poh
