Being of Irish descent, I celebrated this past St. Patrick’s
Day in a very un-Irish manner. My
husband and I had lunch (and margaritas) at a Mexican restaurant and then
proceeded to enjoy Belgian beers in the unseasonably warm sunshine of our
backyard. The warm weather was just too
hard to resist.
This reminded me of another very un-Irish meal we had while
in Ireland a couple years ago. We were
staying in the small town of Cobh on the southern coast of Ireland in County
Cork. Cobh is a beautifully quaint seaside town; an adorable pastel village
with a gothic-style cathedral looming large above it. Cobh was also the last port of call of the
Titanic.
We arrived in Cobh late on a Sunday evening in October and
could not find a decent place to eat anywhere – every place was closed! In a
small village off-season we were foolish to think we could get something to eat
at this hour. We walked up and down very
nearly every main street and side street in that town looking for an open
restaurant, seeing only a Chinese restaurant. But we can’t eat Chinese in
Ireland! But when made to choose between
that and starving – bring on the spicy shredded beef and shrimp with black bean
sauce... You may have heard of the book, “How the Irish Saved Civilization,”
but this night was more a case of “How the Chinese Saved the Americans.” It was
surely not our finest moment, but a funny memory nonetheless.
Luckily the next day our Irish journey found us in Inch in
County Kerry on the Dingle Way. Although Inch is another charming, tiny village,
we were smarter this time and thought to ask the locals for tips and
recommendations on where to dine. Our
new friend Dudley, and proprietor of the House of Four Angels, steered us to
the South Pole Inn in Annascaul. Getting
there was quite an adventure; we traveled along more than a few nail-biting
boreens (a narrow lane). In many of the
rural areas of Ireland you will find that their 2-way roads are actually 1-lane
roads in which one car must pull over to let the oncoming car pass by – or at
least that is how they spot the tourists.
But we appreciated every mile when we saw the amazing views of rolling
green hills, sleepy sheep, and magnificent vistas as far as the eye can
see.
Upon our arrival, we discover that the South Pole Inn is an
iconic Irish pub full of local flavors of every kind, visual, aural, and culinary.
It is named for the former owner Tom Crean, an Antarctic explorer in the early
part of the 20th century. The
place is chock full of captivating black and white photos and other memorabilia
from his expeditions. It was the most
fascinating wait for a meal I have had – with a pint in hand of course! The clientele was great too – tweed suits and
Wellies – I felt like I was in a scene with extras from Waking Ned Devine. They were quite friendly - it was a fantastic
experience! Oh and the meal – delicious seafood
chowder, fish and chips, and strawberry gateau.
A perfect Irish experience in every way.
Definitely off the beaten path, but it was worth each blind turn and
unpaved lane to arrive at such a very special place.
