Michelle: Irish Music Experience

While forever searching for a stationary store so that I can buy a copybook for class, I landed up north of O’Connell Street. So I needed a taxi back home because I had a headache and had been walking all day. But that is not the point of this blog. The cab driver was so polite to me. I asked him the same questions I do of all the taxi drivers – ‘How’s your day,’ ‘Do you live in Dublin,’ ‘Where is the best place for…’ They usually initiates the taxi driver to ask follow up questions about me.

On the trip home he was kind enough to show me the GPO (General Post Office) and explained how in 1916 rebellious Irish Republicans were trying to win independence from Britain. And suggested when I have time, to take a closer look and bullet holes can be seen in its structure. He showed me what is now the Bank of Ireland and explained to me that there are no windows because at the time it was built there was a tax on windows that the people did not want to follow. There was a financial crisis created by a growing inflation caused by the many conflicts both in Ireland and on the continent. One of the forms of taxation created to help pay the debt was known as the “Window Tax”. Glass was costly, and the cost for using glass as windows was even greater. He showed me other various architectural structures. He was my own personal tour guide. Not only did I get a ride home, but I got a lesson as well. This is a common theme I see in most taxi drivers.

But the best place that night he showed me was O’Donoghue’s on Merrion Row. He explained they have traditional Irish music every night, and the band is paid by pints of Guinness. He also mentioned this as the location that the Dubliners started out. So I knew had to check it out for myself. On a Monday night I enlisted the help of my two roommates, Liz and Amanda, so we could experience first-hand traditional Irish music. The taxi driver was right!! A large group of men gather in the corner, and the onlookers enjoyed a nice pint of beer and listened. After going to some bars and clubs around Dublin, it was great to finally hear what Irish music is all about. The lesson I learned – when in a taxi, ask questions. They know their way around the city the best and it may lead to a great experience.