In my continuing review of all that Youghal, Co. Cork in the Republic of Ireland has to offer, I review Treacy's - The Nook.

Treacy's The Nook - An Institution Unto Itself
Situated on an Elizabethan era laneway that meanders up to the Youghal home of Sir Walter Raleigh, next to the Alms House, and just down from St. Mary's Collegiate Church, stands an equally historic institution – The Nook.

Since 1901, the Treacy family has managed a pub in the most ancient part of historic Youghal's Raleigh Quarter.  Memory no longer recalls how long the pub had been in operation before the Treacy's, but it didn't take long to realise The Nook is never far from the mind of both locals and visitors to this quaint Irish town in Ireland's Ancient East.  Originally a one-roomed bar-cum-grocery, the pub was extended by buying four adjoining cottages and converting them into drinking quarters, in the process creating the twists and turns that give the pub its name  - The Nook.

As if from a story on a page torn from one of James Joyce's novels about a quintessential Irish family, its current owner, Michael Treacy continues the family tradition, playing a central role in the pub which is the centre of Youghal nightlife and social fabric.

Recalling Days Gone By
At 116 years in the hands of the Treacy family, and a lineage going back further still, if the walls of The Nook could speak they would tell rare stories.  Decorated with pictures of the town, and its many characters, from days gone by, the environment is as relaxing as it is authentic.  Entering the pub from the Main Street during the day, customers can enjoy a sandwich, scone, soup, coffee or tea.  At night, you enter from the ancient laneway and, well, that is when the real magic happens.

Good Music, Good Drink and an authentic Good Golly Its Guinness Poster
The bar beyond the entry has a rare ambiance created by easy lighting that ushers you into the pub.  If it were elsewhere in Ireland, one might be forgiving for thinking it had been used in The Quiet Man.  The pub has been arond for so long it could serve as a museum for those much-sought-after original Guinness posters from the last century (although, I was told that genuine locals drink Murphy's - a competing stout brewed in Cork – Ireland's "real capital").  

With a full array of top shelf spirits, and a variety of beers from around the world, even the most discerning punter can find their favourite drink from publicans and bartenders well capable of pouring a drink with a smile and having the craic (Irish for good conversation).  Amongst the roar of good craic and laughter (at The Nook – one isn't simply happy – 'the humour is upon them') I began to hear musicians tuning-up.  The night was only getting better.

A Venue for Both a Quiet Drink and a Genuine Hooley
Beyond the small areas that gave The Nook its name, and make perfect space for a quiet drink among friends, is a large room where I found a host of regulars, visitors, tourists and weary travellers amassed around a band.  Without delay, the night's entertainers, Duffy's Cut, began a rip-roaring traditional tune with a robust voiced singer and accordion player so deft with his hands he threatened to lead a one-man revival of the instrument.  The night continued with a mix of Irish trad, folk, country and producing what could only be described in America as a 'Hooley' amongst the crowd.

Whoever wrote 'Romantic Ireland is dead' (it was Yeats) had never visited The Nook.  In a country where umbrage is a well-practiced sport, and any person from the next parish who moves to town is derisively called a 'blow in', the crowd in The Nook made everyone feel surprisingly welcome, myself included.  Clapping and singing along with the music, the mood was so electric that I lost myself for hours, happily enjoying the drink, music and people who were so friendly they spoke to me as though I were an long-lost friend (I'm told friends are treated better than family in these parts).

The Parting Glass
As with the end of anything good, there is always regret in the leaving.  For me, however, I left The Nook truly thankful for the experience.   Like an explorer seeing the last of the polar ice caps, I had to wonder how long such a magical place as The Nook would endure.  If the Treacy's, Duffy's Cut and the crowd of locals and tourists who mixed with such ease were any indication, I would bet all the shamrock in Ireland The Nook will continue with its charming ways well into the next century.

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Sally Anne Sanders is an award winning journalist and travel writer who publishes regularly in her food and travel blog, 'Off the Beaten Path'.

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