“Do you know the Pub Song?” asks Niamh Murphy (23), “So whether you sing or pull a pint you’ll always have a job, ‘Cause wherever you go around the world you’ll find an Irish pub,” the waitress/barwoman from O’Malleys continues, reciting The High Kings’ folk hit.
Along with being catchy and, according to Niamh, giving Irish expats the idea that they have a guaranteed job at any Irish pub, the song speaks to a truth easily observed: No matter where you are there will be an Irish pub. In Groningen alone, the town’s two proudly Irish pubs, O’Malley’s and O’Ceallaigh, stand just a 2-minute walk away from each other, and not only attract internationals but also Dutch locals.
“I think it’s to do with expectations,” says Tom Jassen (28), O’Malley’s manager. Apart from great Irish drinks and Irish decor, Jassen says the atmosphere is key. “You know, the chat with the bartender. The conversation between guests who may come separately, but then become friends within the pub. And really that cozy atmosphere that a pub can give,” he says.
The customers’ expectation of the atmosphere of Irish pubs is something Peter Kelly (66), co-owner of Groningen’s oldest Irish pub, O’Ceallaigh, has experienced.
When once a Dutch customer came in looking perplexed, Kelly was intrigued as to what was causing such a reaction.
“She said ‘I’m amazed.I spent four months as an au pair in France and my local pub was an Irish pub. I walked in the door here and it was just like walking into that pub in France’,” Kelly says, “so wherever it is, I daresay if you do it properly, you know, especially the traditional, it’s gonna be the same, same ingredients,” he concludes.
Both pubs also agree on another thing, the importance of a good Guinness. But who has the best one remains up for debate. “Some people say we’ve got the best Guinness in town. Not trying to brag.” Jassen says with a smirk. But Kelly believes his pub’s Guinness setup to be the ideal one. “I dare say, the Guinness I sell here, you’ll be hard pushed to get a better pint of Guinness outside of Ireland,” Kelly claimed.
As Saint Patrick’s Day, or Paddy’s Day, approaches, both pubs expect a vibrant weekend: “It’s gonna be so busy that you can walk on the heads, as the Dutch would say” Jassen predicts. Though Groningen’s celebration of Paddy’s day wasn’t always as big as it is today, the enthusiasm remains the same.
“Before I started, there was a one-man Saint Patrick’s Day parade. One man,” Peter says excitedly. “He was a Dutchman. His name was Sjoerd and he spent a lot of time in Ireland and he was a storyteller. He was a big bearded guy and on his own, he would walk up and down the main street on the Herestraat, with an Irish tricolour, the complete Saint Patrick’s day gear: Big harp hanging around, buttons and badges,” Peter recalls with a tone of amusement. “That would have been say ‘86 or ‘87.”
Nowadays, many more share Sjoerd’s enthusiasm for Saint Patrick’s Day in Groningen. So if you find yourself in the centre of town this weekend without plans, as the Irish Pub Song would say, “drop what you were doing and you join the merry mob, and before you know just where you are, you’re in an Irish pub.”
