About the Restaurant
Pangur Bán Restaurant is run by chef John Walsh, who's training in Ireland and experience gained both at home and abroad (in Australia, England and the U.S.) is evident in the restaurant's distinctive menu. The restuarant opened in 1999 and since then has served it's customers the freshest and tastiest food in Connemara. Deft little touches are given to fresh local ingredients in an exotic array of dishes. From hand-baked bread to decadent desserts, all dishes are prepared in the kitchen from scratch, with great care being taken to vary the menu.
When you arrive at Pangur Bán you can enjoy a pint of Guinness, a beer or a glass of wine in the cosy bar before being seated in the restaurant. The walls of the bar and restaurant are decorated with artworks by various local artists, all of which are for sale. Pangur Bán is also an intimate venue for weddings, christenings and other social events - please contact for details.
John also sells a range of freshly made breads, cakes, quiches and pies at the Clifden market every Friday morning.
This poem was found in the margins of a manuscript in the Monastery of St. Paul, Carintia, Austria. Written by an Irish Monk, 8th/9th Century.
Pangur Bán
I and Pangur Bán, my cat,
'Tis a like task we are at;
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.
Better far than praise of men
'Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill will,
He too plies his simple skill.
'Tis a merry thing to see
At our tasks how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.
Oftentimes a mouse will stray
In the hero Pangur's way;
Oftentimes my keen thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.
'Gainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
'Gainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.
When a mouse darts from its den,
O how glad is Pangur then!
O what gladness do I prove
When I solve the doubts I love!
So in peace our tasks we ply,
Pangur Bán, my cat and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine and he has his.
Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade;
I get wisdom day and night
Turning darkness into light.
Pangur Bán Restaurant, Letterfrack, Connemara, Co. Galway, Ireland
Email: pban@indigo.ie
Tel: 095 41243
