Oliver St. John Gogarty's
Dublin, Ireland, May 21
Picture a typical Hole in the Wall crowd packed with Fadó regulars at the Sunday night Irish Sessions. Double the number of Guinnesses being hoisted, triple the amount of smoke, and bolster the politics that accompany the social conscience of folk music. Now you've got a good idea of this night in the streets broad and narrow of Dublin's Temple Bar district. And in order to enjoy it properly, the fist must contain an imperial pint of whatever warms your belly, be it Harp or some stiff porter -- political correctness doesn't exist in a land where North and South are still divided and rebel forces sport a Gaelic accent. Drink up, laddie, and heed the music. The reels are as real as they get here in the upstairs barroom of Oliver St. John Gogarty's. Though the crowd is probably more than half tourist, few here miss the IRA sympathies of a lament for Bobby Sands, who starved himself to death in Maze Prison. Still, Dublin proudly stands in the free Republic of Ireland, and that means the most blood-riling sentiments will be followed by a jig that demands dancing because the raison d'être of Irish music is to celebrate the human condition, be it good, bad, or drunk. Bars like this flourish in Dublin these days, most down in the popular Temple Bar, where Bono's Clarence Hotel sits, representing Dublin's largely youthful population amid economic boom (and a lethal heroin problem). Billboards advertising touring shows feature Nanci Griffith and Jerry Jeff Walker. When the second person that night asks me about South by Southwest, it's easy to feel an affinity with the lively crowds that populate this area, going from club to club in search of the best music the night has to offer. From Van Morrison to U2, Dublin has produced its share of rock legends, but many prefer to seek the comfort of Ireland's traditional music when visiting. And why not? It celebrates the magic and myth of its history through that all-too-human condition. In this ancient land of giants and gods, night in the city always holds secrets.
