Doolin and Lisdoonvarna
30 September 2018
It was our final evening in Ireland, and we knew the only way to spend it was with the live traditional music sessions that we love so much. After just passing through the little towns on the beginning of the trip, we promised ourselves a return to both Doolin and Lisdoonvarna... and there should be plenty of music in both places to fill our appetites!
We made our way back to Doolin to see the parts of the town we missed on our first pass through, when we basically drove through the village quickly to the ferry to Inis Oirr. The little street heading to the pier that was lined with colorful buildings seemed to be a good spot to stop. We wandered through the shops, picking up a couple of trinkets for people back home before finding our way to Gus O’Connor’s Pub for an afternoon snack. The tourist crowd was pretty heavy in both the pub and the town itself, but we managed to grab a Guinness from the bar as we squeezed our way to a small spot in the back. There was a full session going on, but the noisy crowd was mostly drowning out the music. We watched what we could, had a quick sandwich and stew for lunch, and decided to head on our way. Gus O’Connor’s seemed like a great pub and the musicians sounded really good as well; but sometimes a large tourist crowd comes through like a tornado, and your best bet is just to take refuge.
Just outside Doolin is Doonagore Castle, a little tower sitting inside a walled courtyard. I have a great picture of this place from our honeymoon trip, but it was taken from the road to the Cliffs of Moher which is a bit in the distance. Coming up from Doolin, we were able to pull over and get right up close to the castle. It’s nothing really huge, we didn’t get to go inside, and I really don’t know anything about its history... I just really like the aesthetic of the building. Sometimes being photogenic is all you really need.
It’s a relatively quick drive from Doolin over to Lisdoonvarna. Funny, just earlier in the week when we made the same drive, I was so nervous with the Irish roads and driving on the left. I watched the side of the road carefully and held my breath at every passing car. Now, I find myself flying down those roads with confidence, not a worry in the world. Amazing what a week can do!
We wanted to do something different in Lisdoonvarna this time, so while the Burren Storehouse was a great stop the other day, we wandered through the town to find something new. We passed a few pubs that looked fun, including the famous Matchmakers Bar. It would be fun to drop in here during the annual matchmaking festival. Who knows, maybe they could do something for us? A lovely Irish lass perhaps? Not likely on our last night here, and without the festival it becomes more of an Irish Dance performance bar. Not exactly the best match for us tonight (see what I did there?), but we did find a great spot actually right next door to the Burren Storehouse.
The Roadside Tavern is a famous pub in Lisdoonvarna. It has been around since the mid-1800s and is known for many things, among them being great food, great beer, and the Burren Tolkien Society (I must learn more of this!) But the Roadside Tavern is most famous for the quality of music that has passed through the pub over the years. Many great musicians – including one of our favorites Christy Moore – have played here, and even when there is not a famous artist performing, they still hold the traditional music to a high regard. If we wanted to finish our trip with great music, this is the place to be.
We figured first we would try out some of the other things the pub has been making a name with. As a busker-style guitarist led the crowd in some traditional Irish singalongs, we grabbed a table in the back and poured over the menu. We had the amazing Burren Black stout that we first got at the Storehouse, and learned it is actually brewed on site. A few sips of this and I am reminded of the rant about craft brewing. I had the other day, and realized that the Burren Black is exactly what I wanted from an Irish craft brewery all along. We got a wonderful pot of mussels and a smoked salmon platter with Burren Smokehouse salmon.
Salmon and mussels caught from within a few miles of where we were sitting, with the salmon having been smoked and the beer been made within a few feet. That is a really special thing worth celebrating.
After dinner, we made our way more into the pub. At this point, the guy with the guitar had finished and the trad musicians started up their set. We lightened our beverage selection with a cider, kicked back at the table, and let the music flow through us as it tends to do.
As the musicians played it felt like they were telling us the story of our past week through their music. The amazing places we’ve seen, people we’ve met, experiences we’ve had... I could hear all of them in the flow of the melody. People will talk about Ireland and make the associations with Guinness or whiskey or the wind and rain or castles or the Blarney Stone or the sheep... but for me, the thing I associate most with Ireland will always be the music. When I close my eyes and allow myself to be transported back to the hills or the cottages or the seasides, it is always accompanied by the music.
We could have sat for hours more, but it was a bit of a drive in the dark back to the farm. As we left the Roadside Tavern, we could still hear the music faintly coming through the door as we made our way down the street. There couldn’t be a more fitting way to end our time in Ireland.
