Candahar Bar Brings Irish Grit to Vancouver

Artist Theo Sims has recreated a bit of Irish grit on the third floor of the Playwrights Theatre Centre on Granville Island. Candahar is an elaborate recreation of an Irish public house - complete with functioning bar taps. Visitors are invited in to sit inside the 12 by 20 foot box and sample some of the local drink.

"People always say, 'Well, it's not an Irish bar if it doesn't sell Gunness,'" Sims said in an interview with the Georgia Straight, but the Candahar only serves local B.C. brew, Whistler Brewing Company.

Candahar takes its name from a street in Belfast and the design is based on the now defunct Blackthorn Bar. Sims wants the Candahar to spark interaction between visitors and emphasize the performativity that occurs in public places. He's hired two performance artists to serve as barkeeps. Connor and Chris Roddy are real barmen, but they're also professional improvisers who know how to create a scene.

Because Candahar is not technically a bar but a theatre space, drinkers must pay the bartenders with tickets, not cash. Nevertheless, Candahar has functioned much like its model - the bar still serves as a gathering place for thirsty travelers looking for a good story.

Candahar is located on on 1398 Cartwright Street and the third floor of the Playrights Theatre Centre on Granville Island. Admission is $5 during the day and $10 after 7 p.m. Special events begin each evening at 8 p.m. Tonight is a performance by Rodney Graham Band and DJ Tim Lee.