Finally recovered from jetlag and returning to a normal sleep schedule, it was the start to a new week in an exciting city. After a delicious meal with friends, we headed down crowded O’Connell Street, to a side road, up to a green door with the name O’Neill’s written in the window.

Following a pint of Smithwick’s, the girls and I heard the exciting, up beat, familiar sound of Irish music coming through the speakers. Upstairs, we found two young men playing the banjo and the acoustic guitar to songs like “Galway Girl” and “Belle of Belfast City.” We all sat at the bar, chatted some, and took in the music, the mixture of people, and the atmosphere of a real Irish pub.

Once I ordered my second beer, I was almost ready to call it a night and head home to get a good night’s rest. As I contemplated, the bartender who had been waiting on us jumped over the bar. Out of curiosity, I looked to see where he was going. Right in front of where the band was playing, he was ready to start dancing.

He started out with no music. The only sounds in my ears were his feet hitting the hardwood floor and his hands clapping out the rhythm. You have this idea in your head of what Ireland is, with the dancing, the music, and the people. I was seeing just that right in front of my eyes. The room watched in amazement as the bartender showed us the Irish dancing that one thinks of when you think of Ireland. As the music began to play, the bar, filled with tourists and locals, clapped along with the beat of the music and the pulse of his shoes thumping the floor.

During his dancing performance, the bartender grabbed an audience member by the hand to join him in his show. She joined the dance confidently as he led her through the steps of the Irish dance. The clapping and cheering only got louder as the performance continued along.

The impressive routine lasted for an unforgettable 5 minutes. Still clapping along, I stood up on a stool to capture the spirit of the performance while the whole pub erupted with excitement and smiles as the bartender continued his craft. The magnificence of this performance, for me, was the fact that it was truly unexpected and sincerely mind-blowing. I found my heart racing and my foot tapping the ground through the rest of the night.

After the bartender took a bow, the bar erupted with applause. He returned to the bar, to pouring drafts and making drinks as the onlookers returned to their conversations as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.  Dublin.

-Shannon Haugh