Dublin House

This one’s almost done.  Nowadays there are so many identical “P.J. O’Somebody’s Authentic Generic Shebeen”, with the same canned decor, that I suspect there has to be a place that sells an Irish-Pub-In-A-Box kit.  Even in out here in Sunny-Woodside (or Woody-Sunside, if you prefer) – a bona fide Irish neighborhood for decades – most of the bars look like they were all extruded from a nozzle labeled “Irish-Bar-O-Matic.”  You won’t get that feeling at Dublin House, 225 West 79th Street near Broadway, which has been the real deal since the 1920s.  We seldom make it to the West side, but a stop here is more than worth the schlep.  The space is a little narrow in the front and they have these tiny two seat booths, part of a unique look that reminds you of a time when everything was the product of an individual carpenter; nothing in here is out of a catalog.  Even if you’ve never been inside, chances are you know this place from the sign.  It may be the best sign on an Irish bar in the city – look here for a very nice 3D image.  I’m happy with the way this painting is turning out.  The color of the floor might be a little over the top, but it fits with my memory of the general warmth you feel on entering the place.  One part I’m enjoying is the very dark green of the front of the bar, which I’m afraid is reading as black in the photo.  Oh well, if you could see everything in the photo there wouldn’t be much point in painting the picture.