Western Snug (Day 38)

The Western Snug joins the middle Snug in a 1- 1 picture battle.


Yes, this blog is not professionally photographed. 

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Give me an Irish pub any day of the week.  Pour me a pint of Guinness and I’ll sit there watching the barkeeps pour beers, interact with regulars and I’ll pass the time letting my eyes wander around the pub.  There are a few things I know about great pubs.  One is that they share a love of craftsmanship in the age old tradition of woodworking.  

There is no other way to make someone feel immediately comfortable in a new space than through the use of wood.  It makes sense, wood is quite durable and can withstand the abuse of thousands of people.  Bars will see more people and more use than some houses will see in a lifetime. Most beautifully as the wood ages it begins to evolve and the dents and little nicks that show up would be looked down upon in a home, but in a bar it shows that many people have drank in the spot you sit and that in some way is validation for the restorative pint you are imbibing.  

Now, we have a long way to go to gain that worn pub look and honestly it is far from the time.  Many people passing through our doors are caught by the newness of the place and the impressive amount of wood that went into our construction.  Many people know they just don’t build places like this anymore and many more people know most people aren’t crazy enough to think they can pull it off in a warehouse.  But we are doing just that.  

This week, we are working on a few glass shelves behind the bar and early next week will shift gears and finish our dart board area.  It will be yet another step in our quest to put before you a third place in your life.  Your home, your work and your pub.  

Now back to O’Donoghues.  O’Donoghues in Dublin is a place where one seeks and finds traditional Irish music and it stands as one of Dublin’s elder bars.   One of my favorite things in Dublin and Ireland was to seek out traditional bars which had traditional Irish music.  It seems they went hand in hand.  Many times, the musicians didn’t have a stage to play on and they would sit side by side at a table.  Many times in arms reach of a patron enjoying a pint or two and in many cases 6 or 7.  

O’Donogues shows the wear of years of patrons.  It’s a comfortable place to walk into and to sit down and have a pint poured for you.   If we can only be so lucky.  

Thankfully, I am part Irish and part German.  Seems like I was born to be a publican.