The Week of The Old Oak

I missed a week in blogging before I went to Galway, so I'll try to give some quick updates now.  I've discovered my newest favorite pub, the Old Oak, and had some good times there since- we went there 4 out of 5 nights last week! Basically, the Old Oak has mostly of older patrons... there's quite a range of ages, really, but most are in their late 20s and early 30s, up to their 40s and 50s, with a few quite old people in their 70s (it was shocking to see a very old man tottering through the bar at 1:30am the other night...) Usually, my friends and I are the youngest people in there, which probably explains why it's always so entertaining to go there.

The first night I went, I was with my friends Skye and Laura. We were supposed to meet up later with friends at An  Bróg (which is a much younger, crazier crowd), but since we were all still a bit sick and not really up for a crazy night we wanted a more mellow evening. We were about to leave the Old Oak to grudgingly meet our friends at the Bróg, but as we stepped outside, a 40-something and his younger early-30s friend starting chatting up Laura. Skye and I obliged and stayed and chatted as well. Initial conversations with the Irish usually go like this: "Oh, yer American!  Where in America are ye from?  Oh, I've never been there, is that near Canada or New York?" Charming, right? Most of the time, I'm out with a friend from Montana, and if they answer first, it's usually just assumed that I'm from Montana as well, which can be a bit annoying. These guys were pretty nice though, as most Irishmen are, and when they invited us back inside for a pint, we couldn't say no (never turn down a free drink!) Turns out, they were having their office Christmas party, because it had been delayed in December by the snow they had here. It was about ten of us sitting in the pub, and one of the guys we met outside, Eoghan (pronounced Owen...) started buying us drinks. After a while, all the girls in the group left, and it was us three and a bunch of older men. They were all very polite and friendly and charming, typical at this point. Skye and I both had horrendous coughs from being sick, and every time we laughed, would launch into a fit of coughing which, after a few pints, was very amusing, leading to a cycle of laughing, coughing, and laughing at coughing, then more coughing... you see where this is going. We eventually all moved back closer to the main bar and music and dance floor, and one of the guys kept dragging me onto the dance floor. We were basically swing dancing, which was really fun- he would just spin me all over the floor. The bar was closing soon, and as I was coming back from the dance floor, Skye cut me off and proclaimed to me that they were all married! This was a bit of a shock, not because any of us actually liked them, but because as polite as they had been, they were flirting, and how strange to go and hang out with young girls when your wife is at home... We said our goodbyes and laughed our way home.

The next time we went to the Old Oak, (the next night, I think...) it was me and a bunch of my girl friends. Paige and I had gone across the river to Sober Lane (a pub- the name is misleading) to meet Donncha and some of his friends for a pint. After being there for a bit, we headed to the Old Oak. We met a few friends there, and suddenly it was decided that we were going to request a song and dance. Note that at this point, NO ONE is dancing, and that the actual dance floor is more like a stage that faces the bar. So one of us requests Don't Stop Believing, and when it comes on, we storm the stage and start rocking out, singing and dancing like crazy people. At one point, I turned around to face the bar, and saw that EVERYONE was watching us!!! We were the night's entertainment, apparently. The DJ loved us and kept playing good songs, and we continued dancing (by ourselves, with everyone watching) for a good while. Eventually, we got a few more people joining us, and wound up leaving to go to the Brog. But that was quite the night!

The next night, we went again. This time it was just me, Paige, and Skye, and we didn't want to do more than sit and chat and have a pint or two. We all get Bulmer's and find a little booth to sit down in. We were sitting in a room that you have to go through to get to the main part of the bar, so it was a prime people watching location. Although it came to be that we were watched more than we watched... that was a confusing sentence. Basically, we sat and chatted, but were looking at all the people walking by. It was an off night, so there really were no younger people, and we laughed at the older women wearing mini dresses and high high heels. The men, though, were checking us out. I would actually say that every other man that walked past us would slow down and look at us all, and smile, or wink, or do something of that nature. Some actually stopped to try to make conversation, or held eye contact more than was natural, or something of that nature. One guy actually did stop, came over to me, held out his hand and shook mine, and said, "I just had to tell you how beautiful you are". He proceeds to look at Skye sitting next to me, and says, "ah, so are ye", and then to Paige, who is looking at me wide-eyed and laughing, he lifts her chin with his hand and says, "ah, gorgeous". Crazy man! His friends then came over and dragged him away, apologizing for his forwardness. We were very amused. It became the joke of the night how much we were getting hit on.

Another night, we happened upon some live music at the Oak. The band, Recoil, was local, and they were really good. They played covers of songs, all of which we knew. After a pint or two, we were in the front row dancing and shout-singing along to every song. And I wonder why I lose my voice... It was a really fun night, though, and ended with us being invited into the private bar-room to hang out with the band, but awkwardly being kicked out my Old Oak management. Guess they didn't want us to drink for free too! That was the night that I truly became obsessed with the song Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons. It, along with all the other songs, were tons of fun to sing along to.

So that was the week of the Old Oak! Ironically, I haven't really been back there much since then... there is one night we went that has a good story attached to it, though. Some friends and I had gone out to watch our friend Gabriel sing at a 23s club, and decided to go to Old Oak afterward. I had to run back to my flat first, though, so when I came back I was alone. There were two doormen there, both older guys in their 50s probably, and one other guy promoting for the Oak. I have my ID ready, and hand it to one of them. Without a word or even looking at it, he puts it in his back pocket... I'm a little confused at first, but quickly realize he's just messing with me (he probably recognized me from that past week, ha). I proceed to give him a look, and then just stand off to the side and start making small talk about the weather. The promoter asks if I'm a doorman now to, and I make a crack about how my brother was a bouncer, so it must run in the family. They're very amused that I'm responding to their little joke like this, and we probably stood and chatted for a few minutes at least while other people come and go from the pub. Finally, I was getting a little chilly and anxious for a pint, so I asked if I could get my license back. He goes oh what, this? But you gave it to me! I told him I just thought he might want to look at it, but don't look too closely because the picture is terrible (it really is....) this of course prompts him to get it out of his pocket and look at it, laugh, and show it to the other doorman, who also laughs. He hands it back to me, and I bid them adieu and go into the pub. The next few nights, whenever I walk by and one of them is there, I wave, and they wave back. We went back to the Oak a few nights later, and as we're sitting waiting for a not-so-good band to finish and the DJ to start, in walks one of the doormen! He sees me and waves, and later in the night we formally introduce ourselves and chat for a bit. I've made a friend! Last Wednesday, I walked by kind of late at night with Donncha, and Ken was outside the Oak. I of course stopped to chat for a bit, and he gave me a look like 'what are you doing with this guy...' to which I just laughed. Good times.

Love the Old Oak!!!