The Next Best Thing to Traditional (Limerick)
Jason was "twisted," as he put it - Erin and I needed to actually help him keep his beer upright as he talked to us. It was a full pint, and it threatened to spend more time on our clothes than in his glass. Jason wasn't making a lot of sense - in fact, he said he was so twisted he couldn't remember his name, and then he introduced himself. He was having a good time, though, he wasn't sure where the spray can of Axe Body Spray had come from. Near as he could tell, he just found it in his hand. After about three sprays at ME (one to the head, two to the chest), innumerable jostles from the crowd, and the most threatening pint of beer ever, he moved on down to the end of the bar.
Tom and Jerry's is known in Limerick as being a fairly tame pub. Go in on a normal night, you'll see gentlemen in their 40s and 50s quietly drinking a pint. It's not built for crowds - the bar takes most of the room, with a lane about 5 feet wide running down the side to allow access to a smallish area with tables and a door back to the toilets. Add in bar stools against the bar and another row against the wall - it's about three feet of passing space.
St. Patrick's Day in Ireland is sort of like what would happen if you mixed the 4th of July with a 21st Birthday. Lots of National Pride, and more drinking than you can possibly imagine. There's lots of traditional music being played in some of the pubs, and Erin and I had a nice time listening to some at a pub called Dolans. But we'd had Tom and Jerry's recommended, so we stopped by on the way home.
They were having a Karaoke Night to celebrate St. Paddy's, and they were packed. Pushing our way through to the back to hit the loo (we'd already had a couple of pints and a bit of a walk) was a challenge. On the way back, as a dodgy rendition of a classic Irish country song was being wailed over the PA, one elderly gent said to Erin "This is the next best thing to traditional!" He wasn't wrong. In a lot of ways, this was the Ireland we were looking for.
The Traditional Music scene, in a large town like Limerick, seems to be geared toward the tourists looking for an "authentic" experience. The thing is, like molecules, as soon as the tourists start looking for "Traditional" it stops being traditional and starts being for tourists...
But this wasn't for the tourists. This was insane. After meeting Jason, we decided to push a bit further into the pub, rather than staying at the back near the door. We saw an empty spot and went for it.... and arrived just in time to be pressed to the wall by a bar fight. Now - given the 3-5 foot passing lane, the fight didn't have anywhere to go - and as soon as it started, three other large guys were locked in trying to pull them apart. So as five burly Irishmen in various states of drunkenness locked in and tried to move in one direction or another, Erin and I, pressed to the wall, could do nothing but watch. Eventually the coeur-de-coeur broke, and the aggressor was dumped to the ground. Slowly, they managed to get him up, and with the crowd parting reluctantly, half pushed, half carried, half arm-locked him out of the bar. There was no bouncer, per se, though there had been at the other bars. One of the patrons, who sort of looked like a cross between Vic Mackey and Richard from Lost, seemed to take charge.
Add in some broken bottles, a man refusing to leave even though he had a wedge of glass embedded in his hand (Just wrap over it! I'll go to the hospital tomorra.) a good rendition of some Billy Joel songs and some really bad American Country, a blond 20-something girl who fell into us at least four times, and was later making out with a rather elderly gentleman, and the handful of the regulars at the back wondering what had become of their local, and that was St. Patty's at Tom and Jerry's.
Tom and Jerry's is known in Limerick as being a fairly tame pub. Go in on a normal night, you'll see gentlemen in their 40s and 50s quietly drinking a pint. It's not built for crowds - the bar takes most of the room, with a lane about 5 feet wide running down the side to allow access to a smallish area with tables and a door back to the toilets. Add in bar stools against the bar and another row against the wall - it's about three feet of passing space.
St. Patrick's Day in Ireland is sort of like what would happen if you mixed the 4th of July with a 21st Birthday. Lots of National Pride, and more drinking than you can possibly imagine. There's lots of traditional music being played in some of the pubs, and Erin and I had a nice time listening to some at a pub called Dolans. But we'd had Tom and Jerry's recommended, so we stopped by on the way home.
They were having a Karaoke Night to celebrate St. Paddy's, and they were packed. Pushing our way through to the back to hit the loo (we'd already had a couple of pints and a bit of a walk) was a challenge. On the way back, as a dodgy rendition of a classic Irish country song was being wailed over the PA, one elderly gent said to Erin "This is the next best thing to traditional!" He wasn't wrong. In a lot of ways, this was the Ireland we were looking for.
The Traditional Music scene, in a large town like Limerick, seems to be geared toward the tourists looking for an "authentic" experience. The thing is, like molecules, as soon as the tourists start looking for "Traditional" it stops being traditional and starts being for tourists...
But this wasn't for the tourists. This was insane. After meeting Jason, we decided to push a bit further into the pub, rather than staying at the back near the door. We saw an empty spot and went for it.... and arrived just in time to be pressed to the wall by a bar fight. Now - given the 3-5 foot passing lane, the fight didn't have anywhere to go - and as soon as it started, three other large guys were locked in trying to pull them apart. So as five burly Irishmen in various states of drunkenness locked in and tried to move in one direction or another, Erin and I, pressed to the wall, could do nothing but watch. Eventually the coeur-de-coeur broke, and the aggressor was dumped to the ground. Slowly, they managed to get him up, and with the crowd parting reluctantly, half pushed, half carried, half arm-locked him out of the bar. There was no bouncer, per se, though there had been at the other bars. One of the patrons, who sort of looked like a cross between Vic Mackey and Richard from Lost, seemed to take charge.
Add in some broken bottles, a man refusing to leave even though he had a wedge of glass embedded in his hand (Just wrap over it! I'll go to the hospital tomorra.) a good rendition of some Billy Joel songs and some really bad American Country, a blond 20-something girl who fell into us at least four times, and was later making out with a rather elderly gentleman, and the handful of the regulars at the back wondering what had become of their local, and that was St. Patty's at Tom and Jerry's.
Labels: Irish Pub Fight, Karaoke from hell, Limerick, St. Patrick's Day, Tom and Jerry, Twisted
posted by Brian at 8:21 AM
3 Comments:
It is very unfortunate that you and Erin had an experience like this on your visit to Tom and Jerry's. This pub is normally hassle free and this is why a bouncer is not employed there. I would hope that your comments would not deter people from taking a visit to this pub to experience some great craic, banter and music.
I hope so too! It was a fantastically memorable evening for us!
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