I’d like to hear about all the various special events for St. Patrick’s Day this year in Taipei. Is Carnegie’s having one, and if so, when? How about The Tavern? Brass Monkey? On Tap? Others? Also, in addition to prices, please say date and times. Thanks all1
On Tap has a St Paddy’s Day specials, but I’m not sure if J’s in town to respond - see here, with NT$99 Guinness.
Dan Ryan’s has a corned beef and cabbage dinner for NT$499 but I don’t recall a Guinness special.
Brass Monkey is having their annual St. Patty’s Day Party this Friday, then Sat Ireland in a Rugby match, then a party on Wed. There’s a St. Patty’s Day party at the Taipei Artist Village this Saturday night and on Wed March 17. I’d imagine Hell’s Kitchen, an Irish bar on Civic, would also be having something.
All of these events can be found on the calendar on the right side of http://www.waakao.com
But really, should Hell’s Kitchen still be considered an Irish bar without Niall there (and isn’t he doing the Taipei Artist Village now)? Do they have a wide selection of Irish beer? Do they serve boxty’s and colcannon? Is there Gaelic on the walls and the real name of Enya on the menus, and do they play the Chieftains?
I’ve been there only three times, twice after Niall left, and I don’t recall any of that except the Guinness and maybe there was Kilkenny?
Has Hell’s Kitchen lost “the craic”?
Come to think of it, even with Niall or another Irishman there, does that make it an Irish bar? What if an Irishman owned a hamburger restaurant that served Guinness? Still aint an Irish bar…
Guess the Shannon was the last thing close to an Irish bar that I know about - Guinness and Kilkenny and Harp (Welsh though right? D’oh!), all kinds of Gaelic lookin stuff and boilerplate “Irish” sayings on the walls, a live band, wooden booths - I’m pretty sure the last in their string of owners wasn’t Irish though.
Are there any real Irish pubs in Taipei?
[quote=“TwoTongues”]Come to think of it, even with Niall or another Irishman there, does that make it an Irish bar? What if an Irishman owned a hamburger restaurant that served Guinness? Still aint an Irish bar…
Guess the Shannon was the last thing close to an Irish bar that I know about - Guinness and Kilkenny and Harp (Welsh though right? D’oh!), all kinds of Gaelic lookin stuff and boilerplate “Irish” sayings on the walls, a live band, wooden booths - I’m pretty sure the last in their string of owners wasn’t Irish though.
Are there any real Irish pubs in Taipei?[/quote]
You appear to be confusing Irish pub with Irish theme pub.
Yep, what is an Irish bar if it doesn’t have any Irishmen or Irishwomen…just an imitation. Have to say Shannon was missed simply because it was setup as a proper bar and lounge, all the pubs I’ve been to in Taiwan are cheaply decked out like a barn.
I fully admit my confusion and disappointment! So are there any real Irish pubs in Taipei? What are the qualifications?
Near where I live outside DC, there’s a place called Ri Ra, and another called Ireland’s Four Provinces (or “the 4 P’s”). They had many Irish beers on tap, they had boxties, colcannon, cabbage and corned beef, and some more delights, they imported the bar itself (mirror, wood, hardware) from the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, most of the bartenders (though not wait staff) had an Irish accent, and they had live bands that, besides RnR, were often Irish string quartets and bands.
Guess I can’t expect that here, but as irishstu, you must have recommendations…
[quote=“TwoTongues”]I fully admit my confusion and disappointment! So are there any real Irish pubs in Taipei? What are the qualifications?
Near where I live outside DC, there’s a place called Ri Ra, and another called Ireland’s Four Provinces (or “the 4 P’s”). They had many Irish beers on tap, they had boxties, colcannon, cabbage and corned beef, and some more delights, they imported the bar itself (mirror, wood, hardware) from the Olympia Theatre in Dublin, most of the bartenders (though not wait staff) had an Irish accent, and they had live bands that, besides RnR, were often Irish string quartets and bands.
Guess I can’t expect that here, but as irishstu, you must have recommendations…[/quote]
Of course my post was somewhat tongue in cheek, but I just never thought of the Shannon as an Irish bar at all, no matter what it had on tap. I have, however, always thought that whatever bar Niall was running felt Irish (although I haven’t been in the most recent one since he’s been involved there). It’s an atmosphere thing rather than a decoration thing. I’m quite sure that bar outside DC feels Irish, and IMO that makes it an Irish bar.
Just my opinion, of course.
My cubicle-neighbor just asked “Do they play Chumbawumba???”
Guess that’s what passes for Irish here in good ol’ Taipei, the heathen idol-worshipper.
Although I found the Shannon crowd to be incredibly annoying, they did occasionally (especially around St.Paddy’s) get in some decent Irish Trad bands. There was this one trio that came in for a few times from HK when I had just started playing my C#/D Button Box (not that I am any better now), that were a complete blast, and great players to boot. Any idea if music like this even exists in Taiwan?? They had fiddle, tenor banjo, guitar, and concertina, Great craic.
There is a mostly Canadian band out of Kaohshiung called Wounded Night that is doing this kind of thing now. Look for them at Spring Scream, if everything goes their way.
Ok, now I know these guys are trying, but after looking at their Facebook page, I just gotta say, what is with these dudes performing? They should do a hell of a lot more wood-shedding before performing, but that is just my opinion.
Perhaps I am a bit of a musical snob, but when it comes to music, it is my life’s blood, so I mean actual people who can REALLY PLAY.
I mean Irish trad like these guys:
or Kevin Burke, who is so bloody good that he doesn’t even need backup as a fiddler!(The second set on this clip [reels] is truly awesome!)
Suggest you get yourself to Dublin, then. 
Oh man, do I ever wish!!!