Kings of the wild frontier

IT IS Saturday evening in downtown Calgary.

In a different era, red-neck cowboys, hardy pioneers and oil prospectors mingled, banked and boozed here before stocking up on provisions and heading back to the wilderness.

Today a multi-cultural hub of urban sophistication, the makings of a good night out are drawing a group towards a handsome old frontier era building. There’s no mistaking the Kerry accent as a well dressed young man tells his companions, “Here’s where you’ll get the best pint of Guinness in this city”, entering The James Joyce on 8th Ave.