On my 2018 trip to Ireland I was making my way back across the country to Dublin from County Clare. I was looking for a quiet place to end my trip, a winding down, so to speak and I found Guerins Kingfisher Pub via Air BNB and lo and behold they even had a session. I popped in and this place was amazing. Thick stone walls, dim lighting, the place was completely adorned with knick knacks, eccentric historical artifacts and all kinds of intriguing paraphernalia . The bar owner was a kind elderly man named Paddy and he was the sole employee. He did everything himself, from changing the kegs, to serving the pints, to the booking for the rooms. The rooms were upstairs above the pub and after I checked in he generously prepared me a pot of tea and a place setting to eat my take out from the chippery next door in a private room of the pub. It was a small gesture, but one he did several times during my stay there and I thought it absolutely endearing and heart warming. “It costs nothing to be kind”, he said as I thanked him.
The session that took place there was one of my absolute favorites of the trip. Sometimes the regional esoterica of sessions can mean even seasoned sessioneers don’t get much playing time, but the 10ish people that showed up to the session here broke out all the standards with just enough unique repertoire to keep it interesting, it was one of my favorites of the trip. After waaaay too many pints of Guinness I recorded this video with Paddy himself and new friend, Bodhran player Adrian Ryan. We tried multiple takes of several other pieces but we’d all had too much fun to manage anything coherent, so we fell back on this old trusty. This pub is in a book called “Irelands hidden pubs”. it’s off the beaten path and an absolute must visit for anyone looking for a unique Irish pub experience.
