13 (40) An Púcán One evening we visited the pub An Púcán, "the boat", in Galway. We drank Stout and Lager and the cordiality of the crowd was just as inviting and comforting as one may expect at an Irish pub. Three men sang and played guitar, accordion and banjo in the typical Irish way. Suddenly the banjo playing man turned towards the audience and said: "we know that there's a lady with a lovely voice here tonight." This exhortation was enough to make the audience call out: "Doreen, Doreen!" After some persuasion she entered the stage and sang with the mighty and powerful voice that only Irish female singers possess. She brought down the house and the applause would never end. 12 14 First published: Friday 20th December, 2002 Send a to the author! You may also use this form