22/12/2022
Come out and Shanty mates! Jan 5 at the Auld Shebeen in Fairfax about 8pm
Northern Virginia Chanteymen-hosted open sea shanty pubsing, Fairfax, 5 January 8-10pm
The northern Virginia monthly sea shanty pubsing has had a tough time finding/keeping a pub home. The past six years it’s been at Paddy Barry’s (Tysons; new then out of business), Lahinch (just over the border in Potomac MD; new then out of business) and until a few months ago, Hawk & Griffin (Vienna; new then out of doing any evening music). Well, we are going for a well established Irish Pub, first Thursday of the new year 2023, 5 January. The Auld Shebeen Irish Pub in Fairfax. This first one is a mutual trial, so help us make a good showing, it should be fun, ‘tis a great venue…. http://theauldshebeenva.com/
Where: The Auld Shebeen Irish Pub, 3971 Chainbridge Road, Fairfax, VA. 20 miles from DC, 10 miles from Tyson’s Corner, in the middle of Fairfax City quite near the courthouse.
When: 5 January 2023, 8 pm to 10pm, usual Chanteymen pubsing format.
Parking: Free and plentiful! There is a city garage at 3925 Chainbridge Road, less than half a block from Auld Shebeen, named Old Town Plaza Fairfax parking. In the evening after 6pm, either white- or blue-lined parking spots (ie all) are free for hours and hours, all night if you want.
Your hosts: Same as for Lahinch and Hawk & Griffin….Ship’s Company Chanteymen, specifically Mike Bosworth, Darcy Nair and Brian Brady.
But where in The Auld Shebeen: we’re going to use two locations in this large pub! If you arrive early to eat dinner (hope you will, and happy hour runs to 7pm and there’s usually a special), sit upstairs in the area between the end of the main bar, and the stairs leading downstairs. And wear a nautical or historic hat or shirt to advertise you’re a shanty-person! There’re about a dozen table seats, plus more at that end of the bar, set and talk with friends for dinner. THEN, at a few minutes short of 8pm, gather your nibbles and drink and take the spiral stairway down to the CELLAR, which we will have to ourselves (but no waitstaff down there ‘til we get our shanty sing participant numbers up considerably). Over 30 seats at a dozen or more booths in one half, a bar (unmanned for our sings), and the other half is open with stage (maybe we’ll eventually fill that too…). To refresh your drink, you climb the stairs to the nearby bar, order and return. Make Auld Shebeen your 1st Thursday ~7pm dining spot, followed by 2 hours of traditional maritime and tavern music, open sing style!
Wait, wait, is there a catch? Only that we aren’t yet confirmed for monthly…they want to see us in January, first. And they sometimes rent out the cellar, which trumps our ‘free usage’ of the cellar. But if we make a decent showing 5 January (bring your friends, help us social media the heck out of this, even travel from further away a couple months to help get started). With a good January start, I believe we can get confirmed to “every 1st Thursday, monthly”, except March (St Paddy’s day, LOTS of rentals), and gradually grow this shanty sing to rival the heyday of the Royal Mile (of blessed memory, hoist a brew in honor….).
