Life in the Pub

If you ever have the honor of going with Mina to have a night on the town you can be sure she will one goal in mind: finding somewhere to dance. This is not just a hope, this is a mission, and you betcha she will see it through. You would be a fool to get between her and a place to dance, but why would you ever want that? You know your night is bound do be an adventure. In Ireland however, this is not normal American Mina, this is Irish Mina so there’s a new mission: finding somewhere to hear some Irish music.

In Galway we decided to join our hostel’s pub crawl. The night of meeting people and revelry was soundtracked by music in every pub, not traditional music but generally a man with a guitar and a sound-system, singing modern pop hits. There were a few Irish-specific songs but you were more likely to hear “Love Story”, “Stick Season”, or something you’d hear on the radio. We watched the pubs fill with university students as the night went on, our circle of stools suddenly in the center of a sea of drunk talking with a splash of singing.

Now we are staying on Inishmoor, the largest of the Aran Islands, at a hostel where we work for a couple of hours in the morning and spend the day exploring the remote farmland island landscapes. Last week we had our first few days off, and we each planned solo trips in different small towns of mainland Ireland. We were waiting for the ferry, bags already packed, when our host drops the information that live music night was that night - on Wednesday. We lamented the timing, promising to each other that next Wednesday was the night!

The week passed pretty quickly and soon enough it was time for our Big Night Out (aka going to the pub next door). For context, there seem to be two pubs on the island; one directly next to the hostel in the same building, and a bigger one a short walk up the main road. In a typical Irish fashion, these are the centers of the community, where everyone knows each other and the Guinness is constant.

A new hostel worker had just arrived that day, Fabiana from Gorgonzola (for real), so we convinced her to join us. The other volunteer, Nayeli from Mexico, needed no convincing, leaping from her comfortable couch Netflix spot into action, and we all made the long walk next door to the pub.

Inside it was already pretty busy, groups gathered throughout, and we just barely snagged some chairs, joining a young American woman and her older Irish woman bestie. The music was in full swing, one violinist and one guitarist tearing up the place with classic Irish melodies. The musicians didn’t have a stage, instead they sat on a bench with their friends, playing from the corner. Every now and then the friend sitting next to them would break out into a song, sometimes a solo but sometimes the whole pub would sing along.

As the night went on, more and more people sitting all around the pub started initiating songs. It felt like part flashmob, part jam session in the best way. It was mostly Irish songs but there were one or two fun modern ones thrown in there. We couldn’t stop saying “This is so cool!” and “It feels like a movie!”, giggling in excitement to each other.

I love being in communities that sing and make music together, probably one of the main reasons I go back to work at a summer camp every summer. It’s wild to be an outsider to such a tight knit community, both intimidating and special. I’ve never lived anywhere like this and I don’t know if I ever will again so I try to soak up every moment.

Next week Mina is gonna initiate a song. She doesn’t know this yet but I will make it happen.

Sláinte!

Mina and Fabiana from Gorgonzola

In Joe Watty’s Pub bathroom