The Neighbourhood Pub -- Flanagans

I found my neighbourhood pub shortly after arriving on this rock.  In fact, the day after I arrived in Bermuda I needed to stop by my new employer and check in.  It was a Sunday in May, so it was a very short check in.  After that I made my way to Hamilton, or "town" as I would come to know it, looking for a place for lunch.  Right on Front Street, across from the harbour, I noticed a sign saying "Flanagan's Irish Pub."  Everyone loves an Irish pub, I thought to myself, but I want to find something authentic, something Bermudian.  I did eventually come across a place with a more seafaring name, and upon entry the first sign I noticed said that patrons involved in brawls were subject to a ban from the premises.  "Everyone loves and Irish pub," I thought to myself again as I backtracked to the place that originally caught my eye.

I was met at the door but a friendly face with a big smile.  I asked if I could sit outdoors on the patio and he said of course, and for how many people?  Just me, I said.  He stopped and looked at me.  "Just you?  Don't you have any friends?"  "No," I said in a voice that probably came out a little small.  "I just moved here."  He gave me a big grin, shook my hand, asked where I was from, introduced himself as Dionne one of the owners, and took me to my table.  "Wait right here Canada."  When he came back, he gave me a personal introduction to my waitress, sent over because she was from Canada too.  A couple of weeks later I returned with my new flatmate and he burst into a huge grin when I walked through the door , "You made a friend!" he exclaimed, making me feel both welcome and at home.

That's Flanagan's.  It may be an Irish pub, but it is authentic Bermudian.

Flanagan's is one of those places that fills up with both regulars and tourists.  It is the old faithful of meeting places.  When many restaurants and diners are closed on Sundays, or those pesky hours of between 2 and 6, Flanagan's is a place you can always go to get a bite to eat.  The menu has a wide selection of pub fare, and has as much variation as it's clientele.  Fish 'n Chips, Indian style curries, Asian stir fry's, local caught fish, steak, Guinness steak pie, pizza, and more.  The bartenders are sliding bottles down to the regular customers who frequent the corner, and mixing up rum swizzles, pina colada's, and mudslides for the tourists.  Either, Anthony, Bryan, Jamie, Trottie, and of course Robbie and Dionne will always there with a greeting and a hello.  And in the corner you might find an Eileen, a George, a Lizzie, a Steve and Aidrie, the elusive Lenny, an Andy, maybe a Jenny, a Siobhan, or an Albert.  It's kind of like the old sitcom, Cheers...but in Bermuda.

Flanagan's caters to its customers as well.  Because this morning was the Olympic gold medal hockey game between Canada and Sweden, I woke up to a text about the first goal, and remembered that Flanagan's would be opening at 0800 for the Canadians and the hockey fans on the island.  They also throw a Grey Cup party, and a Superbowl party.  St. Patrick's Day is typically standing room only.  Nascar race days.  Stanley Cup playoffs.  Anything really.  In fact, I recall watching attending a champagne breakfast to watch Prince Harry and Kate Middleton exchange wedding vows.

I wondered what a good theme song would be for Flanagan's, and the first thing I thought of was an old song from Sesame Street.  "These are the people in your neighbourhood, they're the people that you meet, when you're walking down the street, they're the people that you meet, each day!"
One will almost always run into a familiar face there, and some of the regulars are recognized by returning tourists over time.  As a tourist, it is the warm and friendly kind of place that you want to return back to.  When my sister and some other friends visited, if I couldn't find them, chances were they had returned to Flanagan's for one more pina colada or mudslide on the trip.  Quite often the tourists stay a bit to talk to the locals, or stop by the following day to tell their new friends about their adventures on the island.  The person next to you that strikes up a conversation might be from England, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Czech Republic, America -- on Friday I had a great conversation with a lady next to me from Jersey...whose niece is from the TV show Jersey Shore.  That was a fun conversation let me tell you.  The other day we were chatting with a lovely Canadian fellow, who was just stunned to have met a "cat lady nurse who skydives."  I know, why does everyone think I am a nurse?

Anyway, as the rain comes down, I am happy to be at home, indoors and dry.  I suspect a few are down at the friendly neighbourhood pub, and based on the sound of that downpour there will be time for many great tales and much laughter.