TheCity

Tag: Irish American

  • Irish Pride is Never Far in New York City

    Irish Pride is Never Far in New York City

    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 38th 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 38th 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 36th 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 47th 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 5th and 6th 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. 

  • Chicago J1 could be a thing of the past

    Chicago J1 could be a thing of the past

    Irish J-1 visitors to Chicago could become a thing of the past as leading programme-provider USIT has advised students against travelling to the Windy City in 2014.

    In an email circulated to US work and travel participants, the company cites “a lack of suitable accommodation and job offers” in the city, traditionally a mainstay for the Irish expat community, which may make their J-1 more difficult as the reason behind the announcement.

    The call comes in the aftermath of a turbulent couple of years for J-1 visitors to Chicago, with the unruly behaviour of such young people causing landlords and employers to turn their backs on temporary visa holders.

    According to Chicago Irish Immigrant Support, as many as 2,300 such travellers ended up in the Mid-Western hub in 2012 as opposed to the usual 700 or so, an increase which resulted in dozens of hospitalisations as well as a number of arrests.

    Image courtesy Al Foran
    Image courtesy Al Foran

    Despite a reduction in this year’s number, where Chicago’s J-1 community accounted for just only 1,000 of 8,000 such visitors to the States overall, USIT says it was prompted to make the unprecedented call in light of numerous complaints from clients last year over the lack of suitable jobs and accommodation.

    The announcement has been met with derision by members of the city’s large Irish-American community, with local business owner Dan O’Donnell, a cult figure for many J-1 students having voluntarily helped thousands find safe work and housing since 1997, labelling it a “stupid” decision.

    “I sent out emails and letters last year to college newspapers in Ireland encouraging a sensible amount of students to come out to Chicago so we could manage the situation better, and it worked as evidenced by last summer. We want to encourage them to come over and enjoy American cities, not discourage it,” said Mr. O’Donnell.

    The revelation, which comes after the Irish Government lobbied successfully earlier this year to protect the J-1 programme in its current format, will cause many future J-1ers to reassess the wisdom of travelling to Illinois next summer.

    (Feature image courtesy Al Foran)