So last night I finally got a taste of a bit of the trad music at The Crane Bar, which advertises that it has trad music nearly every night of the week. Their website said the session started at 21:00 which is 9 pm, right? I got there a little after 9, and the bartender said it would start around 10. Welcome to "Irish time." :)
I was going to order a lighter beer, but the same bartender kind of winced, said "Ah, the Guinness is better," and with that it was Guinness for the rest of the evening. Which is to say, two pints: one I bought, the other sponsored by a lad named Nick, who wandered in soon after I did and struck up a friendly conversation that was difficult to understand at the beginning, and became nearly incomprehensible to me as both the alcohol and the music increased. But it was fun trying to keep up. I was able to discern that he was born in Galway, grew up on a farm outside of the city centre, is the youngest of 12 children, and works as a chef at a Tex-Mex restaurant.
The musicians showed up at 10, and I got more excited as the anticipation grew. Finally, I thought: some of the music I came all the way to hear. And then they began playing. And the first tune was...an American bluegrass song. Lovely, but not what I was expecting. Didn't they know I'd come for the trad? Clearly there was some miscommunication that needed remedy. But soon the trad began, and with a couple of fiddles, guitar, banjo, and button accordion, it was a lovely beginning. Clearly they were in dire need of a bodhran player, however, so next time I'll have to bring mine.
The nice thing for me is that the bar is only about a 10-minute walk from my apartment, so I think that'll become my Cheers while I'm here. Still, I plan to visit other places as the month goes on.
I returned home around 11:30 and slept soundly. Today is another cold and rainy day, though it appears not to be so windy, so I'll venture out a bit and see what I can see.
In other news, as my Facebook friends can attest, I was able to improvise a scone dough and did my first baking yesterday: Chocolate Chunk Buttermilk Scones.
I was going to order a lighter beer, but the same bartender kind of winced, said "Ah, the Guinness is better," and with that it was Guinness for the rest of the evening. Which is to say, two pints: one I bought, the other sponsored by a lad named Nick, who wandered in soon after I did and struck up a friendly conversation that was difficult to understand at the beginning, and became nearly incomprehensible to me as both the alcohol and the music increased. But it was fun trying to keep up. I was able to discern that he was born in Galway, grew up on a farm outside of the city centre, is the youngest of 12 children, and works as a chef at a Tex-Mex restaurant.
The musicians showed up at 10, and I got more excited as the anticipation grew. Finally, I thought: some of the music I came all the way to hear. And then they began playing. And the first tune was...an American bluegrass song. Lovely, but not what I was expecting. Didn't they know I'd come for the trad? Clearly there was some miscommunication that needed remedy. But soon the trad began, and with a couple of fiddles, guitar, banjo, and button accordion, it was a lovely beginning. Clearly they were in dire need of a bodhran player, however, so next time I'll have to bring mine.
The nice thing for me is that the bar is only about a 10-minute walk from my apartment, so I think that'll become my Cheers while I'm here. Still, I plan to visit other places as the month goes on.
I returned home around 11:30 and slept soundly. Today is another cold and rainy day, though it appears not to be so windy, so I'll venture out a bit and see what I can see.
In other news, as my Facebook friends can attest, I was able to improvise a scone dough and did my first baking yesterday: Chocolate Chunk Buttermilk Scones.
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