"Whiskey in the Jar" is a well-known Irish traditional song, set in the southern mountains of Ireland. The song is about a Rapparee (Highwayman), who is betrayed by his wife or lover, and is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs. It has been recorded by numerous professional artists since the 1950s. The song's origins come from the traditional folk song "The Highwayman and the Captain," sung in the outskirts of the town of Edinburgh. The song was particularly popular in American folk circles in the ’50s and ’60s, when Burl Ives, The Brothers Four, and The Limeliters covered it as “Kilgary Mountain,” and Peter, Paul, and Mary recorded it as “Gilgarra Mountain.” The song first gained wide exposure when the Irish folk band The Dubliners performed it internationally as a signature song, and recorded it on three albums in the 1960s.
In the U.S.A., the song was popularized by The Highwaymen, of "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" fame. The Irish rock band Thin Lizzy hit the Irish and British pop charts with the song in the early 1970s. In 1990 The Dubliners re-recorded the song with The Pogues with a slightly disheveled, folky version that hit No. 4 in Ireland and No.63 in the UK. Bluegrass icon David Grisman and Jerry Garcia collaborated on a light-footed take in the mid-’90s, around the same time Pulp did a predictably droll version of the song. The L.A. metal band Metallica brought it to a wider rock audience in 1998 by playing a version very similar to that of Thin Lizzy's, though with a heavier sound, winning a Grammy for the song in 2000 for Best Hard Rock Performance.
A mid-’00s cover by Belle And Sebastian was sighing and slightly desperate, while ’80s new-wavers Simple Minds amped up the urgency for a U2-esque, spacey version in 2009. Even Kings Of Leon’s 2003 single “Molly’s Chambers” has ties to the song; the title is a reference to a phrase from Thin Lizzy’s version, and zeroes in on the temptation aspect of the tune.
We happen to be big music fans, and so do our kids. Please enjoy the hunt for this easy puzzle cache!
THE PUZZLE... Stand in front of this establishment so that you can see the apparatus behind the large window. Your answers are inside this window, but not dependent on the establishment being open.
NORTH COORDINATE: N 43° 41.ABC
WEST COORDINATE: W 116° 21.EDF
A = Count the number of "port-holes" going up the widest, tall copper column that is closest to the window. DIVIDE that number BY 8 = A.
B = MULTIPLY A BY D.
C = The brand name for this copper and brass works is ___________ (begins with a "V"). The number of letters in that name = C. One could check this answer easily with a quick web search.
D = There are _______ digits in the physical address of this establishment. That number of digits = D.
E = What is the first digit in the physical address of this establishment? That digit = E.
F = A + B. You now have the information you need to find the final stage, less than a quarter mile from here. You are NOT actually looking for a jar. PLEASE USE STEALTH! To Geocheck your answer: (
visit link). BYOP.
First-To-Find prize is a collectible coin rarer than our usual leave, an Irish flóirín from 1963 with a harp on the obverse and a salmon on the reverse. This choice commemorates the heritage of this song as well as the local affinity for Pacific Northwest salmon. FTF kudos go to Teach Health, who had ample time to distill up a batch of geosense to make the find. Congrats!