By Stephanie Oswald
New Orleans, LA (WGNO) — Irish eyes are smiling even brighter than normal at Finn McCool’s in Mid-City, named one of the “10 best Irish pubs in the world outside Ireland” by The Irish Times.
Owner Stephen Patterson says people come to his bar not only for sports, beer, and whiskey, but also for job networking and personal advice.
“It’s a great honor for us, and we’ve been included with one other bar in the states, a bar in Brooklyn, as well as bars far and wide,” says Patterson, noting that other pubs on the list were in faraway places such as Thailand, Africa, Australia and the Czech Republic.
“It’s amazing that we were chosen, and I think it’s a great testament to Mid-City and New Orleans,” he adds.
Patron Paul Cullen calls the pub “an Irish mecca” that is much more than its four walls.
“It really is the culmination of everything that we call an Irish pub. It’s not about sticking a shamrock on the window. It’s about the ethnicity of it all and Finn McCool’s just has it,” says Cullen.
Another patron, Keith Veizer, described the pub’s come back after Katrina, noting that it was more like a community center than a bar. “Especially after Katrina they were like the heart of this community,” says Veizer.
Finn McCool’s re-opened just six months after the storm, on St. Patrick’s Day 2006, inspiring many locals, and serving as an anchor in the community. In the nomination letter for the contest, the bar was described as “a social life-jacket that kept many afloat during the devastation that destroyed New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.”
With more than 1,500 entries from forty-plus countries, being named to the global top 10 list is just another reason to celebrate all things Irish.
On Tuesday, the bar will serve Irish breakfast starting at 10 a.m. The annual Finn McCool’s St. Patrick’s Day block party begins around noon, when the street will be closed.