The Jameson Whiskey will be smooth no matter where you have it, but an Irish pub isn’t authentic until it embraces the Irish sense of community.
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“Tell me about these walls,” I asked Lincoln Stuyvesant, the general manager. With that he began to tell me it was their in-house artist’s representation of the Irish Potato Famine of 1845, a time when about 750,000 Irish died and an estimated 2 million left their country for Great Britain, Canada and the US. “And you’re sitting in the ‘Cottage’ section of our pub,” he continued. “This small area was constructed to represent the way traditional publicans, often whoever had the biggest house in the area, would open up the doors of their homes to friends and neighbors alike for cheerful hours of drinking, conversation and music. Actually, even the chairs you’re sitting in are from Ireland. Pretty much everything in here is.”
I recalled the quote I’d read on the website of one Irish pub:
“Anyone who builds 6 complete pubs in Ireland, then ships them to America, must be a blooming idiot or a bloody genius!”
The “bloody genius” was certainly standing out to me as I looked up and saw the old jar of Kirkwall Apple Jam on the shelf and noticed from the corner of my eye the flickering flame from the small fireplace that was built into the wall near our table.
“I’ll let Molly get you and your fiancée some drinks and then I’ll show you around a bit.”
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Molly, our charismatic waitress, brought us our Jameson on the rocks and then told us how her sister worked at another Irish pub for about eight years and how every 17th of the month is “St. Practice Day,” a time when they talk about Irish culture and plan how they’ll celebrate not only March 17 but the weeks leading up to it. Then, upon asking for her personal recommendations on what to eat, Molly said:
“There’s always the classic bangers and mash. This is made with sausage from Ireland and with mashed potatoes done up in the Irish style [champ], but people also love our stews and our boxty.”
Upon seeing the confusion on our faces, she added “…boxty is basically Irish potato pancakes, and awesome. Lincoln will show you around and then I’ll give you some time with the menu. Let me know if you’ve got any questions.”
“You all ready for the tour?” Lincoln said with a smile.
“Let’s do this!” With that we grabbed our drinks and he led us to the front door.
Once we reached the door he dropped some wisdom on us:
“You’ll notice the Cottage section you are in is far different than what you see from right to left here. Let’s start over to the right. This represents the Victorian section. You’ll notice the ornate embroidery on the seats and the fine wallpaper. The bookshelf there is meant to represent how Ireland’s pubs are also renowned with their literary output.
“The next area you’ll see is what we call the ‘Brew’ area. This area, with the large copper bar there and the replica of St. James’s Gate pays homage to the brew pubs of Ireland and to the brewing traditions of whiskey, ale, lager and stout.
“Straight ahead you’ll see the ‘Shop’ section with all the antique Irish store signs. In many of the rural areas on the Isle of Erin, pubs would share real estate with the General Store or Post Office. Patrons could enjoy a pint while picking up eggs or stamps.”
Lincoln then walked us straight, beyond the Cottage section, and then stopped:
“Besides the sports bar area back there, this Gaelic section is our final stop. This is our tribute to the Gaelic era and their relationship with nature—notice the shields and the hand-hewn wood.”
Lincoln led us back to our table and as we sat down he said:
“Everything I showed you doesn’t make an Irish pub. Sure it’s all from Ireland; sure we have Callanish here often to play traditional Irish music; sure we’ve got food inspired by what our owner has when he visits Ireland six times a year. That still doesn’t make it an Irish pub. Here’s the thing…as you enjoy your food I want you to feel the sense of community. We’ve got friends, we’ve got families there and over there, we’ve got out-of-towners here for the first time who are fitting right in. That’s the thing. That’s the spirit of an Irish pub. No stereotypes, no stigma…just a place where anybody of any stripe can come without judgment. We’re all about that human bond. That’s what the Irish sense of community means to us and it’s why, on any given day, the people who come through our doors are a representative sample of our diversity here in State College.”
I got the sense that Lincoln wanted to say: “Look, I’ve shown you what I can show you and to some extent none of it even matters. You’ve got to feel the rest.”
So we went with the bangers and mash, and let the hospitality and sense of community soak in. The outside was all snow and ice. No matter. Where we were contained all the warmth we’d ever need.
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As we celebrate with all of our friends who make St. Patrick’s Day great, we raise a glass to Jameson for sponsoring this story.
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Photos by Maggie Chestney