Connolly's pub as it looked when Sheila first visited. |
New York Times bestselling author
Sheila Connolly writes three mystery series, a paranormal romance series, and
romantic suspense. Learn more about her and her books at her website.
I write a
series, the County Cork Mysteries, set in a pub in Ireland. Anybody who has
known me for a long time knows I have never been a pub kind of person. So how
did this happen?
I attended
a women’s college in a dry town, so while I won’t say there wasn’t liquor
around (our favorites, off the record, were Mateus and Tang mixed with vodka),
we weren’t exactly into partying. More like studying, with playing bridge to
fill in the gaps.
I spent
four years living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in graduate school. I could even
drink legally by then. But I can still count on my fingers the number of times
I ventured into a bar. Now and then with a group of friends, maybe, but we were
all broke and couldn’t afford it often.
Sheehan's |
And then
life got in the way, and there were mortgages and a child and all that stuff.
No pubs—until I went to Ireland.
When my
daughter was in middle school, my husband and I decided we would take her to
see England, Wales and Ireland (all in two weeks—ha!). When we landed in
Ireland, the first pub we walked into (in Carlow, near where my grandmother was
born) was eye-opening: on a Sunday afternoon, it seemed like everybody in town
was in the pub, eating Sunday dinner. Grandmothers, kids, probably dogs as
well. Sure, you might have a pint with your corned beef, but mostly people were
there to talk to each other.
Inside Connolly's |
Obviously I
should have recognized fate when it slapped me in the face. Of course I checked
it out, and I’ve been going back ever since. If Eileen Connolly, the owner, is
a relative, we haven’t figured out how we connect—yet. You see, there are two groups of Connollys in the townlands
north of Leap—the families have been living a couple of miles apart for the
last few hundred years, but you must not confuse them! Eileen is a Reavouler Connolly, and I’m a Knockskagh Connolly. But we
get along just fine.
Connolly's pub as it looks today. |
So we
visited Connolly’s on that first trip. And the next year I went back with just
my daughter, and we spent time there again (the Irish don’t seem to have a
problem with children in places that serve liquor.) I’ve been back many times
since. Each time I’ve paid attention: I listened to people, and I talked to
people. Finally I realized that pubs are not about drinking—they’re about
community. The TV show Cheers
actually got it more or less right—a place where everybody knows your name, and
they’re always glad you came. At the same time, if you want to be left alone in
an Irish pub, that’s fine, too. Up to you.
An
Early Wake
Pub owner Maura
Donovan may have Irish kin, but she doesn’t seem to have the luck of the Irish.
Who could have foreseen that bringing live music back to Sullivan’s Pub would
lead to a dead musician?
Summer is ending in County Cork, Ireland, and with it the tourist season. Expat Maura Donovan is determined to keep Sullivan’s Pub in the black as the days grow shorter—but how? When she hears that the place was once a hot spot for Irish musicians who’d come play in the back room, she wonders if bringing back live music might be Sullivan’s salvation.
As word gets out, legendary musicians begin to appear at the pub, and the first impromptu jam session brings in scores of music lovers. But things hit a sour note when Maura finds a dead musician in the back room the next morning. With a slew of potential suspects, it’s going to take more than a pint and a good think to force a murderer to face the music.
Summer is ending in County Cork, Ireland, and with it the tourist season. Expat Maura Donovan is determined to keep Sullivan’s Pub in the black as the days grow shorter—but how? When she hears that the place was once a hot spot for Irish musicians who’d come play in the back room, she wonders if bringing back live music might be Sullivan’s salvation.
As word gets out, legendary musicians begin to appear at the pub, and the first impromptu jam session brings in scores of music lovers. But things hit a sour note when Maura finds a dead musician in the back room the next morning. With a slew of potential suspects, it’s going to take more than a pint and a good think to force a murderer to face the music.
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Enjoyed the post and lovely photos. Thanks for sharing, Sheila.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Angela. I fell in love with the place the first time I saw it, and that's why I keep going back (and found a way to make it tax-deductible eventually!).
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful post! This makes me want to visit more pubs as I travel.
ReplyDeletePam, most of them aren't scary at all, and the food there is getting better all the time.
ReplyDelete