Tim Grant
Tim Grant is a retired Captain from the New York City Fire Department, and a member of the FDNY Emerald Society Bagpipe Band for over 30 years. He has travelled extensively throughout the US, and Ireland. Tim and a small group of 10 friends travel to Ireland every year for a pub crawl and recently celebrated their 150th pub visited there. For the whole story on how and why The Pubs & Pints Podcast was created, scroll down below...
Photo was taken with Tim in the Garden of Remembrance - Kinsale, Ireland, where a tree was planted for each firefighter that lost their life on 9/11. Tim kneels at the tree planted for his close friend and bagpipe band member Durrell "Bronko" Pearsall.
Pubs & Pints
I became a New York City Firefighter in 1993, a profession taken up by many Irish immigrants back in the day. Occasionally, you can still hear the Irish accent throughout civil service; firefighters, police officers, sanitation, and just about every trade - but not like the old days. In the early 1960's, both FDNY and NYPD formed Emerald Society Bagpipe Bands. Many other cities followed suit in the years to come. I joined the FDNY band in 1994 and since then I have travelled extensively throughout the US, Ireland and many other European countries. We always seem to get a very warm welcome wherever we go. For the most part, every town and city in the world has a Fire Department - and quite often an Irish Pub. It always seems to be a best place for bonding and sharing stories with the local firefighters. We have formed long-lasting friendships throughout the years, and throughout the world.
My travels to Ireland were always my favorite. I just have a natural affinity for the people and the country. Family members in Ireland always refer to it as "home" for me. "When will you be home again?", or "How long are you home?" There is a great deal of warmth in that. I also feel that warmth in just about every Irish pub I visit...and not just in Ireland. Its the warmth of the people and the conversations, whether it’s in the cozy pub with a turf fire and a trad session playing in the corner, or the energy of the sports pub with a big match on TV. This is what I look for in a pub.
"If These Walls Could Talk!" I am certain that many iconic stories that were told within the walls of each pub have faded away over time. Stories that once made the whole room laugh. Unfortunately, time has also deleted the memory of some of the characters that told these stories. This podcast will do its best to hinder that from happening. We want to hear your stories and share them with like minded folks that are interested in keeping such stories alive.
The Pubs & Pints podcast talks about everything related to the Irish Pub! We will begin the journey by spotlighting specific pubs, their history and their unique lure for patrons. What type of music is played (folk, trad sessions, maybe no music at all)? From the Dive Bar, to the high end, elegant Irish Pub Restaurant - we will hit them all. Breweries and distilleries will be included, and you should also look for our Whiskey Week show! We will showcase guest bartenders showing us how to make their favorite drinks.
The icing on the cake has been my annual 3 day pub crawl in Ireland with a group of 10 neighborhood friends (also my co-hosts for this show). Since 2016, every October we travel to 2-3 different towns to visit the must-see pubs. In October of 2024 we celebrated our 150th pub visited. (See map). There is no golf on this trip - just great Pubs & Pints!
We have created a bit of a reputation for helping friends plan their trips to Ireland.
From time to time, the Pubs & Pints podcast will feature people that have used our suggestions for their travels. We are not tourism guides, but our wheelhouse is in the pub scene, golf and a little sightseeing in between. That is the focus of this podcast. And for the people that have never travelled to Ireland, we passionately hope to inspire you into making the journey. It's a lot closer than you think! Feel free to reach out with your inquiries. If I do not have the answers, I usually know the people that do.
