Maybe 23 years ago (or more, I don’t remember):
Left Handed banjo Jim in front of O’Flaherty’s Pub in Dingle, Ireland
We were staying at a B&B in the town of Dingle, Ireland and were with friends Pietro and Allison at the time. We stopped in the pub called O’Flaherty’s and had a great evening jamming with the local musicians including two young lads who both played the Irish bagpipes (known as Uilleann pipes) and although the boys spoke only “The Irish”, we were able to create some entertaining music. I drank much of the Guinness that night provided free via the patrons. The banjo I am holding is not the RAGBRAI banjo as it would be years before I took to riding along the cornfields of Iowa. This was the banjo that I made from a “Baseball bat Blank”, I recognized it from the white plastic peg head. I made this banjo when I worked at Chicago Extruded Metals Company maybe around 1975?
Jim and the RAGBRAI banjo in front of the same pub!
Same sign, maybe a new paint job, but it’s still there! We were staying in Kilarney so we couldn’t stay for the evening. I wanted to just get the above photo-op so when we parked in town I asked a local for directions to O’Flaherty’s. He (the local) said I should go to some other pub because this one was too commercial, but I insisted that this was a reunion of sorts so I thanked him for the directions and we found the place maybe 4 blocks from where we parked.
When I walked in, the place seemed much smaller than I remember but perhaps it was because there were video cameras, lights and microphones everywhere! I think maybe they were going to film a commercial or something on the day of my visit. Oh well, at least I got a picture of me in front of the place.