Irish pride is never too far away in New York City… and neither is a drink. 

By Katie Shadlow

Talking about the accomplishment and reward in owning an Irish pub in the city that never sleeps with Blaggards Pub owner Liam Lynch is enough to make you realise that Irish pride is alive and well in New York, and Irish craic is only ever a block away for the homesick. 

Originally from Celbridge, Co. Kildare, Liam Lynch moved to New York and has been running his business on 8 W 38^th Street for 26 years, and though he misses home, he has no regrets. 

While there is evidence of Irish workmanship throughout the city in forms of architecture, cultural influence and more, it seems only fitting that the Irish bring great pubs and great craic to New York City, and here’s just a few. 

All photos taken by Katie Shadlow

Blaggards Pub, opened on 8 W 38^th Street, New York, in 1998 by Liam Lynch. Run by an Irish man, this pub really offers the piece of Ireland that the homesick are missing. 

McGee’s Pub, located in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen, was the pub that posed as the inspiration for the iconic ‘McLaren’s Pub’ in the hit TV series ‘How I Met Your Mother’. 

The Keg Room located on 53 W 36^th Street, is an upscale Irish- American sports bar, which offers the perfect blend of cultures for those who miss home but not enough to want to feel at home. They also delightfully welcome you to their website with some comforting Irish words, ‘Céad Mile Fáilte’, meaning ‘One Hundred Thousand Welcomes’. 

O’Donoghue’s blends the excitement of the Big Apple with the old Irish warmth right in the heart of Times Square. 

The Long Acre Tavern is a contemporary Irish American pub, located on 146 W 47^th Street is more in tune with its traditional American roots, but makes a nod to the Irish with its flag outside and their frequent use of their Instagram page to advertise Irish sporting events that they show in their bar. 

The Playwright Irish Pub and sportsbar, located between 5^th and 6^th avenue, is owned by John Doherty, and while it may not have the most authentic Irish atmosphere, many reviews raise their glass to their great pint of Guinness! 

Nobody does advertising like O’Donoghue’s, with this nod of appreciation to both the bar and the Irish, with the words “Great Irish Welcome” waved for everyone to see in Times Square, New York City.