Irish Pub Tour, Day 8 PART TWO!!!
Just like those late night TV ads… “But wait! There’s More!”
Yes, if you are watching Tim Herlihy of Tullamore Distilleries in Ireland race about the United States to try and reach 50 Irish pubs in all 50 states and do it all in 30 days, you know that Tim is visiting Iowa and North Dakota.
But, if you continue reading…we’ll Double your order!
Yes, there is a part 2. Tim is actually visiting four very big and wide open states in a 24 hour period (well, actually a bit shorter than that since the bars close a 2am).
So, the second half of his rambunctious road trip today takes Tim to little towns in North Dakota and Minnesota!
Third Stop, after Iowa and South Dakota is:
The Blarney Stone Pub
1910 9th Street East
West Fargo, ND 58078
(701) 532-1500
The Blarney Stone Pub in West Fargo (as opposed to regular Fargo) is a place of few words. They have good food, good grog and good friends to share it all with. Beyond that, not much is provided to promote. Tim will be incognito there.
So, let’s shift gears for a moment.
Yes, I know, there are lots and lots of Irish Pubs who call themselves Blarney Stone. As such, now might be a good time to offer the less informed (ie: non-Irish) a bit of background.
There actually is a Blarney Castle which stands in an Irish town also ironically called Blarney which is just 5 miles northwest of Cork City(which incidentally, is in County Cork. The Irish are very straightforward about such things).
Originally built in the 10th century it was meant to be a wooden hunting lodge. The wooden lodge stood until 1210 when it was transformed into a stone castle. Around 1446 the castle was enlarged and strengthened as it stands today. The castle walls are 15 feet thick and rise 120 feet above the surrounding plains.
The "Blarney Stone" is thought to originate from the "Stone of Scone" which belonged to Scotland. In Scotland, the ceremony of crowning a king was held over the stone due to the fact that it was thought to have magical powers. In 1314 at the Battle of Bannockburn, the Scots along with the help of the Irish defeated the English. For the gratitude of Irish support, Robert the Bruce gave half the stone to Cormac McCarthy, King of Munster. The Stone was installed at Blarney Castle where it became known as the Blarney Stone.
The term "Blarney" originated when Queen Elizabeth I wanted land owners to agree to occupy their own land under title from her and pay taxes to England. The queen sent the Earl of Leicester to the Blarney fortress to take possession of the castle. Whenever the earl endeavored to negotiate the surrender, Lord Blarney always suggested a banquet or some other form of delay. Thus, long progress reports with excuses were always sent to the queen and the castle remained untaken. The queen became so irritated at the earl's reports that she replied..."This is all blarney!" Thus the term Blarney has come to mean eloquent speech or the ability to influence, flatter, and coax with fair words.
In each one of us lies the "Gift of Blarney" and it only needs to be awakened. So sit back, enjoy a snort of Tullamore DEW or a pint or two, and spread a little "Blarney" amongst your friends.
Part Four — Minnesota.
Mabel Murphy’s is a chain of bars in Minnesota. In the spirit of Blarney mentioned above, here is the “legend” behind the name of this bar. It is as grand as the stories any lake fisherman in the state might tell.
Mabel, an Irish immigrant to America was trying to escape the terrible potato famine of the late 19th Century. She made passage aboard an unknown ship headed to the States. After many hardships at sea the ship unfortunately sank in a heavy fog 3 miles from the coast. One of the few survivors, Mabel lost all her belongings and sense of direction. Determined to live until the ripe age of 90, Mabel started swimming to shore. Somehow, she managed to miss most of the easter seaboard. Two months later, wrinkled and water-logged, she finally touched solid ground, the Minnesota side of Lake Superior. (…like they said, this is a legend…a big whopper of one)
But, it gets better! Mabel collapsed where she had beached, only to be captured by some renegades five days later who had stopped to cool their guns in the water. With Mabel bound and chained to a funny two-wheeled wagon, the group started trekking toward the west. Mabel made friends with “Cookie” and on dark nights by the campfire they traded recipes, the aroma of fresh baking filled the countryside. (Yes, renegades were always famous for carrying recipes for baked goods they could produce on the plains over open fires.) Mabel made good her escape by disguising herself as spokes of a wagon wheel. (Food was really sparse). She was left down at the bottom of the hill just south of this establishment. Fortunately, someone had built a fireplace and left utensils to cook with. How LUCKY! And the rest, as they say, is history. So, head on over to Mabel Murphy’s. There is a fellow who will arrive today that will claim he is visiting all 50 states in just 30 days…now that is a whopper of a story!
If you are going to head out to Fergus Falls to meet Tim, be sure to check you GPS very closely. I clicked on the map on the Mabel Murphy website for directions and it gave me a county road in the middle of Nowhere, Texas. Sometimes, technology fails us…big time.
Mabel Murphy’s
3401 MN-210, Fergus Falls, MN 56537
Phone:(218) 739-4406
Call them for real directions and when Tim will Arrive.
Tune in tomorrow for the next exciting episode.
Scott the Scribe, reporting…
