Irish Diaspora is more important than ever in this current economic climate and it is always reinvigorating to hear that one of Irelands sons or daughters has had success in another country.
Although Donald Carroll was both born and raised in Germany, upon speaking to him, you soon discover of his connection to Ireland and his deep passion for Irish culture. He is very much an Irishman at heart.
“My great grandfather was Irish and he came from Cork and that’s where we got the name Carroll. From the American side [of our family], we have Irish ancestors. We always had a strong Irish heritage. I was always into Irish pubs and I hope to get an Irish passport in the next few years;” says Donald.
Donald currently works at Motorola, but during the last three years he has singlehandedly brought the concept of his lifelong dream of opening an Irish Pub in Wetzlar, Germany, to fruition.
The pub itself, Carroll’s, opened three weeks ago and in spite of little publicity, the first night was an outstanding success; “It was like everyone knew about the opening and came in charging. People wanted to get inside, but found it crowded. It goes way down deep into a cellar and if it is full, it is just full. But people were having a lot of fun;” says Donald.
Other than opening an Irish pub because of his Irish roots, Donald explains that there are no Irish pubs in his vicinity; “In my hometown, there is no other Irish pubs and we have over seventy thousand people living here and so the next pub you would have to go to and get a Stout would be in Frankfurt;” says Donald.
The building to Carroll’s Pub itself is over five hundred years old and is unusual in the sense that the whole town is made up of cellars; “It’s completely hollow, so you can walk from one cellar to the other and you can walk up to a defense, built in medieval times, and walk into the cellar there. After the World War, they locked down the cellars and everyone had their own;” says Donald.
Donald finds that he is opening a new experience to the area of Wetzlar with the introduction of an Irish Pub, as Donald explains; “Sometimes you walk into a German Kneipe (German Bar) you feel like a stranger, but in my Pub I want them to feel like a friend you haven't seen in quite a while...like home....good beer, good music, good atmosphere... Irish!”
Source: Conor Flynn, Irish Pubs Global
