Community Corner
PREVIEW: Journey to Ireland...in Malverne
Steve Strangio stops by Connolly Station as his "Journey" series moves to Wednesdays. Get a sneak peek of what's to come.
How many times in life can you go to work and be surrounded by joyous Irish music, very merry bar patrons and enough stout to make you happy for years?
Okay, maybe 12 times – tops!
Well, this was my first time doing this type of job and I have to say, it was a darn fun time had by all.
Find out what's happening in Malverne-Lynbrookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Connolly Station is this authentic Irish Pub and Restaurant located right next to the Malverne train station. I’ll admit that whenever I had passed by this place in the past, I would and think to myself, “Self. You need to go in there one day and enjoy some libation along with a heaping portion of Shepherd’s Pie!”
Being Italian, I was surprised my inner voice even knew what Shepherd’s Pie was, but my very Irish girlfriend, Helena, a major fan of all things from the Emerald Isle, served as my guide on this journey of Guinness and Irish folk songs. She even taught me the correct phrase to shout out when downing a pint – Slainte! (According to Wikipedia, it’s Generally pronounced slán-jah, which translates into "health," and is commonly used as a drinking toast in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man - which I assume is located just north of “The Isle of Dude.”) My plan was to find the perfect moment to shout out this phrase.
Find out what's happening in Malverne-Lynbrookwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
You can’t see him, but this adventure also features the debut of my new director/cameraman Andrew Falzon. This guy not only knows his stuff but he also showed up to the pub with what I referred to as “The Maserati of Video Cameras,” a device so cool it looked as if it could shoot lasers into space if you pushed the right button!
Connolly's owner, Gerry Hughes, welcomed us into his beloved establishment and with everything in place – happy Irish girlfriend happily, laser-guided camera man and a throng of pub patrons ready to party, my Journey was set to begin.
So what happened on this adventure? Did I tip a few pints with the best of them, perform a jig and prove that this large Italian boy could keep up with the partying Irish people?
Find out when the video premieres at our new time – Wednesdays at 11 a.m.
