Rally Time Again

Hello Everyone!
Brandon and F.I.P. let me log back in as guest blogger and see what I could ramble on about. First of all thanks to everyone for making it a successful summer. With all the guests coming into the Black Hills (along with all the regulars) for the 67th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, we look forward to seeing many more of you pass through the door and lift up a pint.

I was banging around the internet the other day trying to find interesting (or at least odd) information relating to irish and bikers. While I'm still hunting down that info, my wanderings did lead me to this interesting site: The Bald Heretic. He seemed to well encompass the spirit of Flanagan's Irish Pub and has a very well done website with interesting tidbits and some very well done photography. As such, I thought I'd post it here for your enjoyment.

Best of times at the Rally...

~ MJ and Flanagan's Irish Pub

May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven
half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.

First Month A Success!

First off - I want to thank everyone who has helped to make Flanagan's Irish Pub a success. Second - for all you friends we have not met yet - stop in and say "Hello" when you get a chance!
Our first month has been one filled with music, cheer, and Guinness! We will be adding photos soon of some of our customers who shared a pint with us, as well as a few of the talented musicians who have sat and strummed at the Pub. Thanks to Gordy Pratt, Tony Speiser, Corduroy Vinyl, Mic the Chef, Tom Brennan, Juaquin VillaReal, Dave Cook and Mike Monahan and the many others who have picked a tune or sang along. The good ole' Irish "Craic" appears to be showing its face at FIP!
We look forward to the addition of a limited food menu once we get all the bugs worked out - also, as the Spring transitions into Summer, look for weekend afternoon events (music, food, and BEER!) scheduled on the deck.

Thanks Again - Slainte!

- FIP

Blarney Stone

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney about 8 km from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the Stone and tour the castle and its charming gardens.

The word blarney has come to mean clever, flattering, or coaxing talk.

History

The stone, which is believed by some to be half of the original Stone of Scone, was presented to Cormac McCarthy by Robert the Bruce in 1314 in recognition of his support in the Battle of Bannockburn.

The proprietors of Blarney Castle list several alternative explanations for the origins of the Stone and its supposed powers, all of which suppose that the Stone had previously been in Ireland but was then taken to Scotland and returned to Ireland in 1314.^[1] The stories they list include:

• the Stone was the stone that Jacob used as a _Pillow, and was brought to Ireland by the prophet Jeremiah
• the Stone was the pillow used by St. Columba of Iona on his deathbed
• the Stone was the Stone of Ezel, which David hid behind on Jonathan's advice, while fleeing from King Saul, and may have been brought back to Ireland during the Crusades
• the Stone was the rock that Moses struck with his staff to produce water for the Israelites, during their flight from Egypt
• in Ireland, the Stone was known as the Lia Fáil or "Stone of Destiny", part of the king's throne, with mysterious powers
• the stone's powers were revealed to the McCarthys by a witch who had been saved from drowning

Queen Elizabeth I wanted Irish chiefs to agree to occupy their own lands under title from her. Cormac Teige McCarthy, the Lord of Blarney, handled every Royal request with subtle diplomacy, promising loyalty to the Queen without "giving in". Elizabeth proclaimed that McCarthy was giving her "a lot of Blarney", thus giving rise to the legend.

Opening photos...

Thought it might be a good idea to have a place to post any candid photos people snap during the opening weeks of Flanagan's Irish Pub. Here is the first. Testing the bar during the installation...

Guinness Irish Stew

Better for those of you in cooler climates.... it's damn tasty.

2 1/2 lb chuck-eye steak
12 oz beef broth
1 pint of guiness
1 C chopped carrots
1/2-1 C chopped celery (to taste)
2 C baby red potatoes (chopped or chunked)
1/2 ear of corn (sliced off the ear)
1 chopped onion
2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp olive oil
2 Tbs Worcheshire
1 Clove crushed garlic
1 tsp Basil, Parsley, tyme, rosemary, and fresh ground pepper
1 Bay leaf



Heat up 1tsp of olive oil in a sauce pan on med-low heat. Trim the meat and cut into small chunks. Mix in bowl with 1 tsp of olive oil and cayenne. Coat with flour and brown on all sides in the pan.

Put everything else (spices, garlic, sauces and broth) BUT the veggies in a large soup pot (or crock pot), along with your meat, and begin to heat on medium heat. Bring to a low boild then tone it down to a simmer on med-low heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. keep an eye on it, the guiness will bubble up and need stiring quite a bit.

Stir, then add in the onions, corn, and celery. Simmer 1 hour more, stirring every 15 minutes.

Add the carrots and potatoes. Simmer another hour at least (depending on how soft you want your veggies and meat.

I will typically brown the meat and prep everything the night before, then just toss it all in the crock pot on low when I go to work. If you do it this way, make damn sure to decant the guinness the night before to allow it to go flat...or it WILL boil over while you are gone. Don't ask me how I know this.

Welcome To F.I.P. Pub Tales!!

The Management of Flanagan's Irish Pub want to welcome you to our Pub Tales blog. Here you will find many things: staff ramblings, candid photos, drink and food recipes, Irish quotations, and everything else we can think of that might remotely be of interest.

We want to invite you to post your own comments to the information here. All we ask that it in some way relates to F.I.P, pubs, ireland, drinking, food, drinking, Spearfish or the Black Hills, drinking.....you get the idea. Think of this as our guestbook, guest photo album, and a place to practice your irish verse. If you have related content that you would like to have posted here, drop us an email and we'll get it added.

To add your comments to any of the posts, simply ckick on the "Comments" link at the bottom of the post.

We'll look forward to hearing from you....

~ Brandon and the Staff of Flanagan's Irish Pub