May 27, 2012

Irish Pub


My local sketching group had chosen an older and central part of the city as this week's drawing location. (For those that don't know, we pick a place, meet, split up, draw, arrange to meet again for a drink and to look at each other's sketchbooks.) It was a cold and damp weekend. I think everyone else was drawing outside! I was pretty sure that I didn't want to do this as well. I could just as happily sit down and have a coffee somewhere and draw at the same time. I've done some of my better drawings in cafes.
Stumbling around looking for a spot to draw, I felt compelled to enter an Irish-style pub. An 'Irish' pub can appear anywhere at anytime if someone thinks that the business will work. All you need is to sell some Kilkenny and Guiness and you're away. But I've been in this pub before and it seems more authentic than some. By authentic, I mean that by walking into this place you get the impression that this could really be a piece of Ireland transported here. I don't know how old this establishment is but it's not new, which I think helps the illusion. It's not shabby, but it looks used, like this is a place where people meet. There are also odd bits of collected curios resting on ledges that surround appropriately framed pictures - the type that would take some time to collect.
As I sat there, I noticed how the different international beers (that are on tap) have their own shaped dispensing spouts. I have to admit that I ordered a beer from the tap that I thought looked the best. So there must be something to that. So I sat there - sipping and drawing. Much warmer than the rest of the group, surely!