Posts Tagged ‘Garryowen Irish Pub’

The first weekend of the Gettysburg Fringe Festival, at least from my standpoint, was a great success.  My book signings went well, and I was able to meet many nice folks and chat about the Crimean War, the Civil War, Lincoln’s personal security, and many other topics.  I also saw the Quantico Marine Band, and especially the Dixieland Ensemble.  I knew many of the Marine musicians from when they came to our Marine Corps Historical Company program at Harpers Ferry last October.  We also managed to grab a few beers together at the Garryowen Irish Pub later Friday night.

Dixieland! What a treat.

One of the most interesting book signings was at the David Wills House on the square in Gettysburg.  This is, of course, where Lincoln stayed while he was in town, and figures prominently in my novel, The Gettysburg Conspiracy.  It’s almost mystical being surrounded by the floors, stairs, windows, furnishings, and bedroom where Lincoln resided, and is reported to have worked on the final draft of his famous address.

I’m still trying to get a complete handle on the Twitter, Facebook, Facepage thing, but I’m learning more every day, and my new iPhone is now a permanent part of my anatomy.  I am even contemplating buying the new iPhone 4G – better battery and camera among other things. I tried this past weekend to use social media to let folks know where I was signing books and try to get them to come down and chat.  Believe it or not, it worked.  Several of those I spoke to said they saw my facebook or twitter updates and knew where to come to talk history … so we did!

Five Guys - Five Gettysburg Area Artists Exhibiting

John Paul Strain painting, with gallery owner, Paul Selmer, looking on. An amazing artist

Signing books surrounded by wonderful Civil War art at Paul Selmer's Gettysburg Frame Shop and Gallery

Paul's dog watching the counter while Paul is away

Signing at the American History Bookstore. A store filled with historical books. Don't let the outside fool you - they have a large and complete inventory from Regimentals to an in-depth Lincoln selection.

Last night I attended one of the most spectacular events I’ve seen thus far at the Majestic Theater, Gettysburg, PA.  It was the Irish Guards Band, and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlander Pipes and Drums. They were magnificent.

Irish Guards Band

They made the modest stage sparkle and pop endlessly throughout the performance.  Toe-tapping Irish, Scottish, Welsh, English, and even American tunes, and brisk martial music brought the audience, a full house, to their feet.  The scurl of the pipes stirred many a heart, including mine.

Argyll and Sutherland Highlander Piper

Musicians came into the audience, delighfully surprising many listeners, and playing flawlessly – trumpets, pipers, and even a post horn … there was no dozing this night.  Their quietly poignant and beautifully played rendering of “Taps,” and the British equivalent, “Last Post,” was something I will remember for a long time.

I had thought the strikingly refurbished Majestic Theater too small for a marching band with pipes and drums, but it certainly was not.   Their marching on that tiny stage was, in itself, something to behold.

I spoke to several of the Irish Guards lads during intermission, and was pleased to find we had many mutual friends among the Scots Guards, whom I met doing research at Wellington Barracks, London.  After the performance was over, for some unknown reason, these lads managed to find their way to the Garryowen Irish Pub, where we were able to share a pint of two or three or four.

Drums of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

It was a good night had by all, and when I go to the UK on tour in April/May, I’m certain we’ll meet up again.  Two lads, Kalvyn and Mick, actually hang out in my favorite local in London, The Cardinal Pub, so I know we’ll be meeting up.  Besides, I think they owe me a pint … or me them.

Irish Guardsmen chatting with Jeffrey Gabel, Founding Executive Director, Majestic Theater - Gettysburg

Garryowen

New mates in pub - sorry for the bad pic ... I suspect you understand

Garryowen Irish Pub, Gettysburg, PA

I was browsing on the web following up on a tweet I had received, and looking for a group of writers I might join in the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, area. There was one, but it said ‘private’ and that seemed to defeat its purpose, so I moved on.

I noticed on the Meetup.com site a place to “start your own meetup group” with a self constructed web page – and with simple instructions even I could follow.  The rest, as they say, is history.

I’m now the organizer, at least temporarily, of a group willing to meet at the Garryowen Irish Pub in Gettysburg on each Wednesday night, 7-9 pm, to share and discuss techniques of writing, book publishing, book promotion/marketing, and anything else we can think of.  The fact is, three or four local writers have been meeting at the Garryowen on Wednesdays for some time, so it wasn’t much of a stretch – more an expansion.

I envisioned an informal gathering of writers with few rules – after all we’re meeting in a pub!  Topics will be decided at the previous meeting and announced on the web site. We’ll have dinner (Wonderful food at the Garryowen Irish Pub), paid for individually by each of those attending, and a few libations of your choice, complimented by lively discussions of topics important to anyone wanting to torture themselves into becoming a writer.

We actually had our first ‘formal’ (although it was terribly informal) meeting last night.  Five attended: four writers, and one world traveler who should be writing a book.  We intend to talk him into it.  The pub as a meeting place worked like a charm.  The owner and host, Kevin, and the managers, Anne and Josh, are most accommodating and gracious.

As it happened, the writers present were either published or about to be.  The group, however, is open to all writers at whatever stage in their writerly efforts they find themselves, even if they merely have a book in their heads they’d love to write.  Our world traveler describes himself as just a ‘reader,’ and he’s most welcome too.

I believe this group can be many things to many people. To begin with, it’s good to get together with a group of like-minded folks for a pleasant discussion, good food, and companionship. In addition, the discussions about various aspects of writing and getting published help us all in perfecting our craft, publication, and promotional efforts.

We hope to draw more participants over the next few weeks.  If your reading this (God, I hope someone is), and you’re in driving range – come join us and I’ll buy you a pint.

Gettysburg Writers Meetup Group –     http://www.meetup.com/Gettysburg-Writers-Meetup-Group/