Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musicians

Subject: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musicians
From: katlaughing
Date: 04 Jul 99 - 05:27 PM

Could this be a new source of revenue for folk musicians?**BIG GRIN**

Just read an article on the growing economy of Ireland. It is secodn only to Japan in electronic exports. More Irish have moved back to Ireland, than the over 200,000 who left it in the 80's. Business is booming. One of the new exports is pre-fabricated Victorian Irish pubs, compleat with liquor contracts, beautiful carved wooden bar and musicians. I kid you not; that IS what the article said.

Has anyone heard of this or experienced it? I have this funny vision of a pre-fab folk band stepping out in a lively jig from a padded cardboard box, having been done up all neat and tidy-like for the trip across the oceans. The article said they've (the pre-fab pubs) have been shipped to places all around the world.

katlaughing

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musici
From: A Celtic Harper
Date: 04 Jul 99 - 06:02 PM

There's a pub chain as it were, called "Fado's" (no, I don't know if the name's significant; ask the nearest Irish speaker. unless it's solfege?). Went to the one in Atlanta, GA after playing the festival with IONA. All kinds of Irish debris is attached to the walls, bits of boats, culls from curraghs, parts of 19th century Apothecary shops, molto antique Irish this, that, and another. Can't recall if they actually had Irish musicians - they were playing a loud species of rock over the speakers, but hey! The food and ale were good. I've heard there's another opened in DC - haven't investigated yet.

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musici
From: MudGuard
Date: 05 Jul 99 - 02:56 AM

Do I have to buy a whole pub, or are they on rent?

Rent a pub sounds like a nice business idea to me!

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musici
From: Margo
Date: 05 Jul 99 - 11:51 AM

I wonder if that has anything to do with some contests I've heard run on the radio where a person writes an essay about a beer (Guiness?) and the winning essay writer is awarded a pub in Ireland. That's in Portland, Oregon. Has anyone else heard that contest?

Margarita

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musici
From: SeanM
Date: 05 Jul 99 - 05:07 PM

Yup. It's actually at the very least USA-wide... I remember reading a newspaper story some time back that out of the mass of pubs they've given away (I guess that they've done about 10 or so), only one guy has stuck it out and run the business... the rest show up, have a few pints, realize that they've been given a serious business, then sell out and head home.

Apparently, Guiness finds pub owners who want to move on to something else, buys the pub lock, stock and barrel, and that's what you win.

M

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musici
From: Big Mick
Date: 05 Jul 99 - 06:21 PM

I have been at the Fado's in Chicago, and Dick O'Dow's in Birmingham, Michigan. They are both pre-fab pubs built in Ireland and then shipped here with a crew of Irish carpenters who assemble it onsite. I would offer a couple of comments. The Guinness is usually just right, appropriate temp, dedicated tap and allowed to sit the right amount of time. The food in both places was excellent, Shepard's pie was out of this world, as were the Angels on Horseback. The entertainment in both places was polished and done well, but a little light. Still very entertaining, though. Having said all that, one gets the distinct impression that one is on a movie set. And the crowd is invariably what I would call yuppyish. Just a little too trendy for the Aul Mick. And not two rebel songs to rub together, but they aren't there to listen to the band anyway. An aside: I did get to play a Halpin Bodhran here. Fred Halpin of Gloucester, Ontario makes as fine a sounding and playing instrument as you will find anywhere. Back to the review. I would recommend to anyone that they visit these places at least once. I usually go there during off hours, for the food, and then head to The Gaelic League or The Fenians for the craic/music.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musici
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 05 Jul 99 - 08:59 PM

Every major European city (and some which are less than major) has 2 or 3 "Irish pubs" with memorabilia nailed to the walls, Irish and British beers on tap and musicians who tour a string of them in circuit. In England, one of the largest brewers has a chain of blue-fronted O'Neill's pubs. Boston has loads of new Victorian-styled pubs.

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musici
From: Jack Hickman - Kingston, ON
Date: 05 Jul 99 - 11:36 PM

Our little city is blessed(?) with one of these pre-fabricated pubs, part of a chain owned by Prime Pubs Limited, who also own a chain of New york-Italian restaurants known as East Side Marios. Our pub here is called Tir na n'Og, and is decorated with all kinds of Irish junk, pictures and photos, maps, sticks, etc. When they first opened, about two years ago, they even had an Irishman behind the bar, I think he came with the decor, but I don't know where he is now. Other pubs in the chain have names like Darcy McGee's, Finn MacCools, Slainte, etc. Their entertainment consists of 3 & 4 piece groups playing loud pseudo-Celtic music. Although it is not my favourite watering hole, I have two good things to say about them:
1.

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musici
From:
Date: 05 Jul 99 - 11:39 PM

Permit me to finish my last sentence. I must have hit the wrong key:

First of all, they have a great trad session on Tuesday nights, and secondly, they have contributed quite significantly to the Irish community, in the form of donations to the Famine memorial, and some of the cultural activities. So they have some good points.

But like everything else, you can't please everyone, and much of this type of thing is strictly a matter of taste.

Keep the Faith.

Jack Hickman

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musici
From:
Date: 05 Jul 99 - 11:41 PM

Permit me to finish my last sentence. I must have hit the wrong key:

First of all, they have a great trad session on Tuesday nights, and secondly, they have contributed quite significantly to the Irish community, in the form of donations to the Famine memorial, and some of the cultural activities. So they have some good points.

But like everything else, you can't please everyone, and much of this type of thing is strictly a matter of taste.

Keep the Faith.

Jack Hickman

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musici
From: John OSh
Date: 07 Jul 99 - 11:25 AM

There is a company which specializes in developing the "Irish Pub" to your location/building size and price. They are the ones who built the Fado's across the county and over 300 pubs across the world (according to their literature).

Don't remember the name, but they have a link on the Irish Times. Pretty odd to look through all their web material, breaking down the 'Irish Pub" experience and resons for starting one like opening a McDonalds franchise!

John OSh

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musici
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 07 Jul 99 - 12:48 PM

Does this account for some of the prefab Irish music I've been hearing lately?

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musici
From: Fionan
Date: 07 Jul 99 - 01:03 PM

I remember when O'Neill's was a novelty (there must be one on every street in London these days) and all the staff were Irish, rather than Australian as they are now. They used to have really good bands on and play Irish music on the juke box otherwise (first time I've ever heard Mary Coughlan in a pub!) but now seem to have degenerated into any other chain...

Another really whacky one to visit is Waxy O'Connors off Leicester Square, W1...possibly the hugest pub I've ever been in, it has a tree in the middle of it and is decorated with the usual books, adverts, bodran's, curraghs, pulpits milk churns and cowsheds (I kid you not).

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musici
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 02:13 AM

Fado means 'Long Ago'

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musicians
From: MartinRyan
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 02:27 PM

...unless you're Portuguese - in which case the presence of bodhráns is likely to puzzle you!

Regards

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musicia
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 02:48 PM

"One of the new exports is pre-fabricated Victorian Irish pubs, compleat with liquor contracts, beautiful carved wooden bar and musicians. "


Well I understand the contracts, wooden bits and all but hell..
how do you keep all the musicians in the crate before you nail the lid on?

Robert

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musicians
From: beardedbruce
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 02:51 PM

"compleat with liquor contracts, beautiful carved wooden bar and musicians."


"how do you keep all the musicians in the crate before you nail the lid on?"


How would you keep them OUT? "compleat with liquor contracts"

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musicians
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Mar 07 - 07:45 PM

What a clever commercial gimmick! Leave it to the Irish to cotton on to the American way of marketing. Its a logical extension of the whole 'disney-ification' idea of the world. Don't wait to take a holiday in Ireland, consume it here and nowNot only is it just like the real thing its actually better! I look forward to the day when I can buy a CD to give me a virtual Irish pub in my lounge room.

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musicians
From: Rowan
Date: 09 Mar 07 - 01:15 AM

In the regional centre where I work there's a pub that's been here for over 100 years that has recently been touting itself as an Irish pub. Officially (and originally) named the "Wicklow" but more commonly called "The pink pub" because of its exterior colouring, its owner (at the time it started being Irish) was Des Macguire and he served Guinness on tap, along with a couple of paler Irish beers and the usual NSW versions. The interior was free of the sorts of decoration described by posters above, thankfully.

He was quite happy to have us play and sing (often Irish but also other 'trad/folk" items from anywhere between the International Date Line and the Golden Gate (via the long way around) but he also decided to invite a rather clueless C&W singer/songwriter to set up over the top of us. I don't think there was more than coincidence involved, but he went bankrupt shortly afterwards. We play elsewhere.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: Exported pre-fab Irish pubs compleat w/musicians
From: Cymreiges
Date: 11 Mar 07 - 01:38 PM

There's a nice restaurant/pub in my area called Ri-Ra. Apparently, the woodwork and counters were taken from a bar at the Olympia Theatre and a shop in Co. Cavan. {The original bar and shop were built in the 1800s, so I suppose it's not really pre-fab.} It's very beautiful, but shipping a bar interior to Maryland seems extragant.
On the other hand, Ri-Ra hosts great trad sessions. The musicians are local Marylanders, plus one or two from Pennsylvania or DC. I guess the pre-fab Irish musicians got lost en-route!

~Cymrieges

* I think there's a Fado chain pub in the DC area ... I've never been.