The Foggy Dew | O’Hara’s (Revisit) | Mark Joseph | White Horse Tavern | YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune is The Foggy Dew by The Chieftains & Sinéad O’Connor. It’s an old Irish folk song written by a priest named Charles O’Neill. This song became pretty popular with my friends and many UFC fans because it is what Conor McGregor would come out to during his fights. Whatever you may think of McGregor, I think it’s fair to say you have to at least admire his determination and what he did for the mixed-martial arts. He also announced this week that he will be returning to the octagon this summer so it’s somewhat sports topical. While this may be a serious song about the Irish Revolution, we don’t learn too much about it in school on this side of the pond so I figured it may be insightful.
Just to set the scene for the Yanks reading this, Easter morn is about the rebellion of Easter Rising, which took place in Dublin, Ireland in 1916. This was in the middle of World War I when Great Britain still had control over Ireland. It was a week-long event that turned out to be a pivotal point in Irish independence. The marching men in these lyrics were British soldiers, the city was Dublin. Tattoo in this situation doesn’t mean ink on skin, the word also means “an entertainment consisting of music, marching, and the performance of displays and exercises by military personnel.” The Angelus Bell gets rung when it’s time to pray and Liffey is a river in Dublin. (Irish Music Daily)
The original Irish Republic flag was green, it didn’t have its white and gold. The colors of today’s Irish flag represent Catholics (green), Protestants (orange or gold depending on who you’re talking to), and peace between them (white). Irishmen at the time of Easter Rising were being sent to fight for Great Britain in WWI. Suvla and Sud-El-Bar are in Turkey, where they would have fought the Axis powers, which we learn about in US history. Royal Meath is a historical nickname for County Meath, it was where the High Kind of Ireland would reside. The British “Huns” were British military sent to stop the rebellion. (National Museum of Ireland)
The Wild Geese were Irish troops who went to fight for the French. Patrick Pearse and Cathal Brugha were Irish revolutionist leaders. Pearse would be captured and executed while Brugha would be badly injured and killed later on in the Irish Civil War. The Fenians were one of the Irish militias that fought the British. (The Mac Life)
It’s important to note the context of this rebellion. There hadn’t been one in Ireland in over a century. The British during the 19th Century and even after WWI could be considered at the peak of their Empire at this time. These efforts of rebellion by many Irish at this time felt futile so the Easter Rising may not have been as supported in the moment as you may think. The men who fought in the Easter Rising would later earn their recognition once the public sentiment started to shift after WWI.
Lastly, for Americans reading this, the Irish and British relationship is extremely complex. Including Northern Ireland, there are 32 counties within the Emerald Isle, so you can think of those almost like 32 American states where some parts of the country may not have had the same enthusiasm for independence as other parts. As you can imagine, these countries neighbor one another as close as they are, have had quite a complicated history that goes back way before the New World was even discovered, and there is much more to the story, but The Foggy Dew was in response to the Easter Rising and WWI. One last thing, for those reading who may be Irish or English, you are 1 million percent more read and well-versed on this so if I’m missing anything please let me know.
On to the pints…
#GuinnessChallengeSeason
@Kids don’t try this at home. Not just because you’re underage and will have plenty of pints to drink if that ends up being your thing when you’re older but also because Guinness is actually best served in a pint glass from a tap. A pint of Guinness varies depending on the drinking establishment. If the keg it sits in is rarely poured, it can lead to some underwhelming taste. Rather than stealing gimmicks, I’d like to start taking Notes while drinking Guinness. My grandfather from Connemara, whom I never got the chance to meet, Thomas Davis, used to drink pints and by all accounts was a self-taught thinker. The one rule I’ve imposed on myself is that I will only have 1 pint per sitting from each establishment I review, so @AnyoneWorrying, don’t worry about my drinking habits. The Guinness Challenge is to “cut the G” on your first sip (more like a gulp and a half). If this is your first time hearing about it, I didn’t come up with the fun challenge @YouTheReader can try the next time you have a Guinness. The 0.0 to 10.0 scale will be extraordinarily nuanced but as a reference point, the only perfect 10.0 I plan ever to give out is at the Guinness Factory in Dublin one day.
(1st Revisit)
O’Hara’s NYC (@InstagramlessO’Hara’s) 8/29 ‘23
Service & Staff: A+
Guinness: 9.6 (Confirmed)
Guinness Challenge: I Failed. X
Song On In The Background: Foggy Dew by The Chieftains & Sinéad O’Connor
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: After getting a pint from a can at Nassau’s on August 29th, I was fixing for a guaranteed nice pint so I revisited O’Hara’s. Here is the original Pint&Pen&Paper that I wrote about the experience on January 3rd, ‘23…
Nick is the bartender. From the Bronx. (I scribbled down Riverdale and Riviera - I should probably know where they are). Nick is a Yankee, Knick, Ranger, St. John’s, and Giant fan. St. John’s will never be the same. Nick next to me said the bartenders are stand-up guys. Eric was another bartender, he has been with O’Hara’s for over 10 years and loves the bar&crowd that comes in. Fallen Heroes scrapbook.
As soon as I walked into O’Hara’s I saw thousands of NYPD and FDNY cloth badges hanging up all over the walls. You can clearly tell that this place has a ton of history. Located by the firehouse, O’Hara’s is in the shadows of the 9/11 Memorial. Nick next to me was a fellow bar customer drinking a cold one. He overheard me mention that I was doing Guinness reviews for my Week to Week Notes and when I started explaining the concept of the sports publication said “It sounds awesome.” He name-dropped one of Week to Week Notes’ rivals (who will remain nameless for this post) and said they aren’t what they used to be during the rise they had with writing. We both agreed that we aren’t interested in watching a telecast of fans watching games and that all they do now is talk into cameras like celebrities. He also said he totally missed the boat with their massive podcast as it wasn’t for his age demographic, similar to something I’ve rambled on about in my writing in the past. He had to go but wished me good luck and said he loved the idea behind Week to Week Notes. The kind words were greatly appreciated!
I asked Nick, the bartender, about St. John’s - will they ever be good again and he said unfortunately probably not if they couldn’t win with Steve Lavin. His favorite Yankee growing up was Don Mattingly and his favorite during the 90s was Bernie Williams, just like Steve from Texas-Arizona, so it should go without saying he knows what he is talking about as well. He brought up how he didn’t like how the Yankees treated Bernie Williams at the end of his career forcing him to retire, which as a kid growing up wrecked me. The other Yankee tidbit he brought up out of the blue that I was extremely impressed by was how the Yankees also did the same to Hideki Matsui after he just won the World Series MVP so that they could give Matsui’s money to bring back Nick Johnson who only played 24 games in ‘10. I remembered Godzilla getting the raw end of the stick, but had honestly forgotten it was for Johnson, great call back.
The last thing I’ll mention about O’Hara’s was that Eric and Nick plopped a massive Fallen Heroes scrapbook down next to me at the bar. It was filled with thousands of stories, accounts, and photos of 9/11 heroes. They said it was cool to take pictures. The scrapbook was filled with rare and personal stories. I took a few pictures during the first few pages but then was just overwhelmed by the sheer collective amount of history in that scrapbook, it didn’t feel right for me to leave anyone’s story out from the sad day in America’s history. I tried to read as much as possible and examined it from front to back. As someone who was in the first grade during 9/11, it clearly may not have affected me or my family as it did for so many people in the Tri-State, but their stories should always be remembered. By random happenstance, Week to Week Notes led me to an extremely humbling experience. O’Hara’s has a great atmosphere made up of some very stand-up people. I’m looking forward to checking out O’Hara’s again soon!
When I went back in August, unfortunately, “Nick next me” wasn’t there, but Nick the bartender was to serve me another fine 9.6 pint of Guinness. Since I didn’t have a Week to Week Notes business card the first time I went, I made sure to give them a handful in August. I follow “Nick next to me” on social media and as bad of a wrap as social media gets, I think it’s awesome in situations like this. Mind you, this time last year O’Hara’s was only the 5th pint of Guinness I drank with a notebook and I had no idea what I was doing. That said, the fact that I was only 3 days into this, and Nick could see that I was trying to create my own version of a sports media publication was pretty cool. It was one of those moments early on that helped give me some confidence when I wasn’t so sure of myself. This sort of experience I had at O’Hara’s was way better than anything I could’ve even imagined when I first thought of Pint&Pen&Papers and it couldn’t have happened at a better pub. For most of January last year, I didn’t have business cards so I’m looking forward to retracing my steps this new year. As ridiculous as a statement as this sounds, I do hope to revisit all the bars that have helped me along the way so I’m looking forward to it, just like I’m already looking forward to my 3rd pint at O’Hara’s Pub!
Song On In The Background: Enough is Enough by Post Malone
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Steakhouse down by South Street Seaport. A large group of middle-aged men are sitting around a table laughing and clapping. It’s either gotta be for fantasy football or golf, one of the two. In the hallway by the pisser, they have a signed Jeter, Andy, and Mariano picture from Mo’s last game. They also have a signed Eli Manning, Tiger Woods, and Michael Jordan pictures. Last but certainly not least, they have a picture of Bernie Williams and Jeets on Seinfeld. The steak is recommended.
Established in 2000, Mark Joseph Steakhouse is located on a quaint cobblestone street just north of the South Street Seaport and south of the Brooklyn Bridge. They combine excellent food with nice service, so it is no wonder that a group of middle-aged men were there after a round of golf or fantasy football draft. The steakhouse is known for its Dry Age process of the steak being on site, so they have full control over the quality of the meat. Their menu boasts a 38 oz Rib Steak, a 20 oz Sirloin, and a 12 and a 16 oz Filet Mignon. I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at Mark Joseph’s again soon!
Song On In The Background: Thuggish Ruggish Bone by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Established in 1934. The building has been around since 1742, there’s a plaque outside the bar. Cliona is waitressing. She is from County Kildare and is out in The City for the summer. It was originally named Wooden Horse, but more on that later in the week. Guinness is their top-serving drink. You can’t beat $6 pints, I love it! They have a nice glass shamrock behind the bar. Their 2nd and 3rd floors are open for private parties.
The White Horse Tavern has loads of history to it that I’ll save for later. It’s been family-owned by the Gleeson family since 1976. I look forward to grabbing another $6 pint of Guinness at The White Horse Tavern again soon!
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…Cough, Cough, Stumblin’ Along this Sunday, cough, cough…