Once only, 26 years ago in a New York bar, but it was one of the best gigs I was ever at

This is self indulgent!
I bet there isn’t a single person in Ireland who remembers, let alone was ever in, Dan Lynch’s Bar in New York.

I discovered it one day in 1994 when I was in New York for the World Cup.

I was having a pint with some of the other Irish hacks and they were deciding where they’d go later.

It seemed to boil down to a choice between Doran’s, Kearney’s and a couple of other Irish pubs.

I really didn’t want to spend all night in an Irish pub. Again.

Seemed a bit pointless travelling from Ireland to spend weeks in Irish pubs.

So I went off on my own, something it’s easy to do in New York.

Nobody thinks you’re weird if go into most New York bars on your own.

Anyway, I was down at 2nd Avenue and 14th Street when I heard music. Blues.

And it sounded good even if the name over the bar made me suspect more diddlyeye.

Dan Lynch’s.

I went in anyway.

It was quite packed. Lots on their own, lots in gangs.

So I listened.

It was magic, pure magic.

I quickly discovered that the singer was Flamin’ Amy (Coleman) and the band was Sweet Patata.

She was six feet away from us. And as good as Janis Joplin ever was.

If I remember rightly – it was a good night – at one point she took a break and told us it was her birthday and if anyone was to buy her a JD she’d accept them.

I did. So did six or seven others. And she did accept them.

And she knocked them back and the second half was even better.

A fantastic night.

Sadly, none one of my colleagues expressed any interest in going on any of the few nights we had left in Manhattan even though I had been told, and passed it on, that every night was going to be just as good.

But it wasn’t to be.

Lynch’s closed a couple of years later.

Sweet Patata broke up – too many stars in it to last.

But Amy is still going.

I’d love to see her live again!

Whelan’s maybe?