McSorley’s

I was relieved to find Mike behind the bar when I went back to McSorley’s to try and produce brighter pictures. He recognized me from my last visit and immediately introduced me to the rest of the staff on board.

I found that taking pictures in McSorley’s more challenging than in other bars.   Little had changed in McSorley’s during the past 150 years. A sound system was never installed and it seems like a wet cloth was not introduced to the premises in over a century. So while in other bars I enjoyed the loud music as some kind of a shield, in Mcsorley’s there was nothing to hide behind except for the smell of sour beer and the sound of cracking sawdust and peanut shells on the floor.

I spent about two (very awkward) hours taking pictures, and then stayed for few drinks with the boys. It only occurred to me when I left that it probably should have been the other way around.

The notion of bartending or table waiting as a career intriguers me. A job that is viewed as temporary by most is turned into a profession by others. I am curious to learn whether these Irish men are truly content with this lifestyle or were they just following where the New York circumstances lead them to.    

Next time I will stop by McSorley’s I will leave the camera at home. I find conversation much easier without the camera’s threatening presence.