My connections in Ireland took me to some off-the-grid type places where I wouldn’t have ended up on my own. One of those places was the town of Tubbercurry. If that name isn’t incentive enough to visit, then Nathy Brennan’s bar is.
Nathy Brennan’s pub is about as close to a Newfie pub as you can get. Or, I guess, the Newfie pub is modeled after every Irish pub on the planet. But you get the idea.
My brilliant hosts Paul and Sonya (and owners of Murphy’s Hotel) took Julia and I under their wings for a few days. My bus ride from Galway to Tubbercurry was probably the most hungover of my life. Julia and I were miserable, actually – I had just said good-bye to my Couchsurfing hosts and we were TIRED. We literally were just two seconds from sleeping our way through our stop. The bus driver had to halt for us and everything.
Anyway. After dinner, Julia and I joined Paul and Sonya at the bar for a few beers. Fuelled by Guinness and camaraderie, we decided to go down the street to visit Nathy Brennan’s. Never mind the fact it was Sunday evening.
Nathy and his sister own this bar/pseudo museum and convenience store. The place reminded me of The Inn of Olde in Quidi Vidi: walls adorned with every knick-knack possible, as well as remnants and souvenirs from patrons past and present. I’m talking dollar bills, flags, photographs, and more. This was essentially the Irish pub experience I had been seeking since I first arrived in Ireland: a sort of community spirit that becomes a family.
Plus Nathy pours a mean pint of Guinness.
We were the only folks in the pub on Sunday night, other than Nathy and his sister, and another friend of theirs. They sat around the wood stove burning that sweet scent of fire through the whole building. We all chatted, everyone being eager to learn more about my ancestral journey. I felt pretty well at home here.
If you’re ever in Tubbercurry, make sure you swing by Nathy Brennan’s for a pint. Tell ‘em the redheaded Canadian sent you.