USPS Publication Number 16300
THE
SUMMATIONWeeklyy
This Community Newspaper is a publication of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association
S E RV I N G T H E F I RS T J U D I C I A L C I RC U I T
SHAMROCK AND ROLL Vol. 25, No. 11
March 12, 2025
SummationWeekly.com
1 Section, 10 Pages
Section A, Page 1
AT PENSACOLA'S ICONIC IRISH PUBS
By Morgan Cole & Nicole Willis
I
t’s officially that happy-golucky time of year, and there are plenty of ways to get into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit. Although Pensacola isn’t exactly known for its extensive Irish history, it is home to a handful of iconic Irish pubs that know how to go big when it comes to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day! Whether you’re looking for green beer and bar crawls, traditional Irish eats and treats or the perfect spot to jig along to some live music, these local Irish pubs will surely deliver a healthy dose of St. Paddy’s Day fun for everyone. Sláinte! McGuire’s Irish Pub 600 E. Gregory St. McGuire’s Irish Pub is one of Pensacola’s oldest restaurants, and it’s also known as the oldest craft brewery in Florida. McGuire’s first opened in 1977 as a small neighborhood pub in the Town & Country Plaza shopping center in Pensacola. In 1982, it moved to its current location, which served as Pensacola’s original 1927 old firehouse. Known for its on-site brewery and funny patron traditions, like kissing a stuffed moose head and stapling autographed dollar bill “tips” to the ceiling, McGuire’s Irish Pub has become a staple in the Pensacola community. The 20,000-squarefoot restaurant boasts around 615 seats spread amongst various themed rooms—each inspired by a turn-of-the-century, New York Irishstyle saloon. McGuire’s offers a huge list of beers (locally crafted and others), an extensive food menu with generous portions and plenty of traditional live music—bagpipes included. The menu features a variety of traditional Irish pub foods like Irish boxties, shepherd’s pie, authentic Irish lamb stew, Irish cockles and mussels, corned beef and cabbage, lamb shank colcannon, Irish steak and mushroom pie. McGuire’s also boasts an onsite brewery, which first opened in 1988 and brews fine ales, porters, stouts and more. All beers are brewed at McGuire’s in the traditional oak and copper brewery using the finest malted barley, imported hops and McGuire’s signature house yeast. They offer five beers regularly: light ale, Irish stout, red ale, IPA and porter. Other seasonal beers are offered on rotation, including their popular raspberry wheat ale, Belgian ale, Oktoberfest, Hefeweizen and more. The signature drink at McGuire’s is the Irish Wake, a powerful cocktail that mixes rum, blue curaçao, orange juice and peach schnapps. For those who don’t drink, McGuire’s also brews its own root beer. You can enjoy live music just about every night of the week
from 9 pm until close, which typically includes a mix of traditional Irish pub music and other popular modern favorites. McGuire’s Irish Pub is open Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 2 am and on Sunday from 10 am to 2 am. For details on upcoming events, daily specials and more, visit mcguiresirishpub.com/pensacola and follow @mcguiresirishpub on Facebook and @mcguirespensacola on Instagram. O’Riley’s Irish Pub Downtown 321 S. Palafox St. O’Riley’s Irish Pub is one of two O’Riley’s locations in Pensacola. The downtown pub made its debut on Palafox Street in 2013 and offers a little something for everyone. The two-story venue boasts a fullservice restaurant and main bar on the first floor with multiple largescreen TVs for sports games. In addition to ample indoor and outdoor seating, patrons can also enjoy an upstairs pool room and dart lounge. O’Riley’s downtown location also offers an extensive food menu featuring a mix of American and traditional Irish pub foods like cajun egg rolls, chili cheese fries, burgers, fish and chips, bangers and mash, Irish boxties and shepherd’s pie. While O’Riley’s doesn’t brew its own beer, it does have more than 30 beers on tap with everything from domestic to local craft brews. The pub also offers a large selection of spirits and creative cocktails, including their signature Irish Trashcan, which contains a mix of vodka, gin, rum, peach schnapps, Blue Curaçao and Red Bull. O’Riley’s runs happy hour specials Monday through Friday from 4 pm to 7 pm with BOGO domestic draft beers, wine and well drinks. As for entertainment, O’Riley’s always has something fun going on. Weekly events include trivia nights, bingo and gamer nights. You can also enjoy Dollar Nights on Wednesdays starting at 8 pm. O’Riley’s Irish Pub Downtown is open Monday through Friday from 11 am to 3 am and Saturday through Sunday from 10 am to 3 am. The pub also hosts brunch on Saturday from 10 am to 12 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 2 pm. For details on upcoming events, daily specials and more, visit online at orileyspub.com and check out @orileysirishpub on Facebook and Instagram. O’Riley’s Uptown Tavern 3728 Creighton Rd. O’Riley’s Uptown Tavern, Pensacola’s original O’Riley’s Pub, is a locally owned and operated neighborhood Irish pub that has served the Pensacola area for over 20 years. The original O’Riley’s Irish Pub was transformed into what we now know as O’Riley’s Uptown Tavern in 2003 when owners
Patti and Derek Sonnen decided to venture into the hospitality industry. Located off the beaten path on Creighton Road, O’Riley’s Uptown provides a fun getaway at the north end of Pensacola for those not looking to drive downtown. O’Riley’s Uptown is known for its large outdoor patio, backyard space and pool room. Patrons can also enjoy dart boards, arcade machines and more than a dozen HD TVs with watch party seating. The tavern maintains a regular day following, with an extended happy hour offered throughout the week, including Dollar Night every Wednesday with a live DJ. O’Riley’s also hosts weekly trivia, bar bingo and karaoke nights with some awesome prizes for winners. O’Riley’s Uptown offers a variety of nightly drink specials and an extensive craft beer menu. Unlike its sister pub, you won’t find any food here. They offer around 20 beers on tap with local craft favorites like Pensacola Bay Brewery’s Riptide, Sir Richard’s Queen’s Lager and more. You’ll find a host of weekly events including bar bingo, karaoke, trivia, late-night Jackbox Mondays and more. O’Riley’s Uptown Tavern is open daily from 11 am to 3 am. Visit orileystavern.com and follow @ orileysuptowntavern on Facebook and Instagram for details on other upcoming events, nightly drinks specials and more. Paddy O’Leary’s Irish Pub 49 Via De Luna Dr. Owned and operated by locals Gary Humphrey and Seamas Hunt, Paddy O’Leary’s Irish Pub (Paddy’s) is somewhat of a hidden gem on Pensacola Beach. The pub officially opened its doors in March of 2000, just a few days before St. Patrick’s Day, and has developed a loyal following that’s turned it into one of the most popular hangouts on the beach. Gary Humphrey and his wife, Maureen, relocated to the Pensacola area from Pittsburgh back in 1983 and have called it home ever since. Co-owner Seamas Hunt moved to Pensacola from County Wicklow, Ireland in 1996 after graduating from college. He and his wife Sharon and their four kids reside in Gulf Breeze. Gary and Seamas decided to open Paddy’s back in 1998 when Gary and his wife accompanied Seamas and his family on a trip to Ireland to attend his twin brother’s wedding. During the trip, Seamas took Gary on a tour of his favorite Irish pubs and Gary was so impressed, the two made it their mission to introduce the people of Pensacola to a “real Irish pub.” Like O’Riley’s Uptown Tavern, you won’t find any Irish grub at Paddy’s, but with more than 100 beers available, you’re sure to find something you can enjoy. Paddy’s
signature drink is the Irish car bomb, which is a cocktail that’s made by dropping a shot of Irish cream and Irish whiskey into a glass of Irish stout — typically Guinness. When it comes to entertainment, Paddy’s always has something going on. Live music is a huge draw for the pub and you’ll find local big names like The Modern Eldorados, plus traditional Irish tunes by The Irish Claddagh. Paddy’s also hosts regular karaoke and open mic nights. The pub slogan is “where the fun begins and never ends.” You’ll find, NFL Sunday Ticket and College Football games on all TVs, live music, bands, Texas Hold’em, karaoke, nightly drink specials, Irish car bombs galore and, of course, plenty of beer. Paddy O’Leary’s is open daily from 11 am to 2:30 am. For details on upcoming events, drink specials and more, visit paddyolearysirishpub.com. Local St. Patrick’s Day Events O’Riley’s Irish Pub St. Patrick’s Day Celebration March 15 to 17 O’Riley’s Irish Pub is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day all weekend long! Enjoy drink specials, green beer, corned beef, cabbage and other Irish fares all weekend. Kick off the weekend with the Green Eggs & Kegs Brunch on Saturday from 10 am to Noon. Then, starting in the afternoon, join in the Grog March Pub Crawl featuring raffles and prizes at 10 pm. Perfectly planned for crawlers to recover, there will be another Green Eggs & Kegs Brunch from 10 am to 2 pm on Sunday. On March 17, O’Riley’s will open at 10 am. Select promos and specials will be held throughout the day on Monday. For more information, visit orileyspub.com. St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at O’Riley’s Uptown Tavern March 15 to 17 O’Riley’s Uptown Tavern is going green for St. Patrick’s Day with a three-day celebration from March 15 through March 17 featuring themed drink specials, a live DJ, games, prizes, exclusive merchandise and more. Enjoy all the green beer, Guinness and Irish Whiskey that your heart desires throughout the entire weekend. On March 17, O’Riley’s will transform into Ireland with a St. Patty’s Day celebration that spans the entire venue, including the patio and O’Riley’s backyard. There will be a $5 cover starting at 3 pm. Visit orileystavern.com/new-events for details. St. Patrick’s Celebration Weekend @ Seville Quarter March 14 to 17 Kick-off St. Patrick’s Day at Seville Quarter with a week-long celebration that includes all of the Seville fun but with an Irish twist. The celebration begins on Tuesday with lunch and dinner specials featuring Irish favor-
ites such as corned beef, cabbage and Irish stew. Throughout the weekend, there will be specials on green beer, Irish ales and Irish whiskey. If you want to fully embrace the St. Patrick’s Day spirit, sport your best leprechaun outfit or kilt for complimentary admission. The St. Paddy’s Day fun is going down at Seville Quarter, located at 130 E. Government St. in downtown Pensacola. For more information, visit sevillequarter.com. Ice Flyers St. Patrick’s Celebration Presented by McGuire’s March 15 Even the Pensacola Ice Flyers are getting into the St. Patrick’s Day spirit this year! Join the Ice Flyers in celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at the hangar for some fast-flying fun. Presented by McGuire’s Irish Pub, this St. Patrick’s celebration will feature St. Patty’s-themed activities, specialty jerseys and a jersey auction. Be sure to wear your best green and cheer on the Ice Flyers as they face off against the Quad City Storm. The game is set to begin at 7 pm. If you don’t already have a season pass, single-game tickets are available. For tickets, visit iceflyers. com/tickets or the Pensacola Bay Center in downtown Pensacola. St. Patrick’s Day Oyster Roast @ Emerald Republic March 16 What better way to celebrate an early St. Patrick’s Day than with cold beer and oysters? On the day before St. Patrick’s Day, Emerald Republic Brewing Co. will host a celebratory oyster roast. From 11 am to 6 pm, the brewery will be shucking up and roasting delicious, fresh oysters for everyone to enjoy. Food and drink specials will be available throughout the day, including Irish beer and themed cocktails. Take in some live music, enjoy some oysters and grab a cold one—it’s going to be a shucking good time! Emerald Republic is located at 1414 W. Government St. in Pensacola. For more information, visit emeraldrepublicbrewing.com or the web address facebook.com/ emeraldrepublicbrewing/events. 38th Annual St. Paddy’s Day Pub Crawl March 17 The Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce invites one and all to “Go Irish on the Island” for the annual St. Paddy’s Day Pub Crawl. This annual pub crawl along Pensacola Beach will feature 17 participating beach bars, restaurants and hotels serving up Irish fare, Irish-themed drink specials, entertainment and more. Locals and visitors are invited to dress in green and join in the revelry in support of Pensacola Beach businesses. The fun begins at 9 am, with each stop lasting 30 to 45 minutes. For complete event details and to check out the list of participating venues, visit pensacolabeachchamber.com.■
visit SummationWeekly.com