The longest

Today's music session was on Blackhorse Avenue, which is right beside the Phoenix Park. We used go to this bar after sessions here, but we changed our allegiance some time ago. The Hole in the Wall, not surprisingly, is 'the longest pub in Ireland' (made that way by the knocking together of several former houses into one rather big pub, about 100 yards long), and it is this fact which now works against it because of the reduction of staff which so many pubs have gone in for since the smoking ban came in. The long narrow shape never was a problem when the bar was properly manned with a few barmen, each looking after their own sections. Now it's quite normal to wait ten minutes to be served, most of which is spent leaning over the bar and craning your neck in a vain attempt to attract the attention of the barman who always seems to be at the opposite end of the bar from where you happen to position yourself. It's a shame, really, because the interior is full of atmosphere and it's definitely got lashings of quaint charm. (Actually, another downside these days is the proliferation of TV screens which are all too liberally scattered from one end to the other, making it almost impossible to find a quiet corner any more.) We go to Comiskeys now instead.

After the music I made my way over to Bray to spend the night with my dear friends Dave and Alan. We had great chat, fine food, more chat, a couple of phone chats with Carl in the States, and a viewing of Shutter Island, which greatly confused us all. It was after 2.00 am by the time we got to bed, after a great night in perfect company.