Do you know The Mutton Lane?

Day 16: July 2, 2012

A water fountain, as parched and dry as my mouth searching for that cold dark beer I was craving. After a brisk walk past the varying aromas in the English Market we found it. “Go to the fountain and then through the doors on the left” we were told. This is where we would find the nice, cozy pub, The Mutton Lane. We escaped the smells and temptations of the market and were greeted by a cold, damp alley, as unwelcoming as the rain that has come down so many of the days before. But, the sun was out today in all its glory. A whopping sixty-five degrees and a brilliantly bright blue sky made this the nicest day we have had in Ireland so far. But where did we decide to spend a few moments of our day? A candlelit pub. We ask the bartender if they are serving any food, unsurprisingly he said “just beer.” That was ok though. The growling of my stomach had not started yet, so we sat down and ordered the pub’s own stout, De Maza.

With a clank of glass against glass we cheers and take the first sip. Expecting a rich, roasted, thick drink to flow into my mouth, I was greatly mistaken. De Maza was just as dark as Guinness, but less thick and with more hop. The bitterness of the hops attacked my palette but did not overwhelm it. The smooth, slightly roasted aftertaste left me craving more. In this dark, quiet, and small pub I was reminded again of home, like I have been so many times on this trip. Jack Brown’s, a favorite bar of mine in Harrisonburg is smaller and much louder, but the originality of De Maza made me reminisce on all the different beers I have had while seated on the bar stools inside the crammed space of Jack Brown’s.

The bartender approached us while filling a pint for another customer. “If you’re lookin’ fer food den ya ought to try Bodega.” He hands us a tiny brochure with Cork Heritage Pubs written at the top. “It’s a nice, classy, cozy, place fer lunch. I can show ya how to get there when ya want.” We agreed to that and we kept the conversation going. He mentioned several other places in the pamphlet and how they were all good local, traditional Irish music. We talked about how we were going to Doolin, and about the Aran Islands and the Volvo Classic World Sailing race would be in Galway this weekend when we arrive. Conversations like these have happened before on the trip, but this seemed more genuine. There were only three of us in the pub, as opposed to the normal gang of twelve to sixteen, so it was much easier to have a normal conversation.

After we finished our pints he walked us out and pointed us in the direction of Bodega, and we were on our way. We got there and realized it might be a little out of our price range we still appreciated the suggestion. Irish people have more welcoming warmth about them than most other people it seems (besides the good old Southern comfort we have back home). They seem to really enjoy a good lengthy conversation on just about anything you will listen to. It’s nice that while we are so far from home, the people we have met have welcomed us into their home with open arms.