Sir, – It was with mixed, but largely pleasant, emotions that I read Frank McNally’s account of his recent (re)visit to Gaughan’s pub in Ballina (An Irishman’s Diary, August 1st).
My experience of this incomparable establishment pre-dates Frank’s by a couple of decades. For five or six years in the 1970s I plied my trade in Ballina and came to know Gaughan’s as a pre-eminent model of an Irish public house. I would not describe myself as a “regular” during those years but as a frequent visitor, who often drank “not wisely but too well”! The premises at that time was presided over by Edward’s indomitable mother, who ruled the place with a genial but very firm hand, ensuring that atmosphere of ease and conviviality which gave the Irish pub its international (if illusory) reputation.
At that time Edward was just beginning his career and quickly established himself as a landlord of warm welcome, cordial authority, and firm control. One of the courtesies Edward offered, as a supplement to the sale of a wide range of plug, cut, and rubbed tobacco to the discerning pipe smokers of the town, was a free pipe-cleaning. This facility could not be asked for but, if offered, was always accepted with alacrity. While the pint of plain was settling (always room temperature; icy stout was a futuristic nightmare), Edward would vigorously ream your bowl and thoroughly cleanse your stem so that enjoyment of the pint was immeasurably enhanced by a sweet smoke.
Time is a thief of pleasure: friendships and acquaintances fade and disintegrate; but time cannot diminish the recollection of companionable cheer and edifying conversation in this oasis of tranquillity. May I, through your columns, wish Edward Gaughan a happy and long retirement, and tip my cap, across the decades, to those whose company made the experience of Gaughan’s instructive and unforgettable . – Yours, etc,
FRANK M FLANAGAN,
Clareview,
Limerick.