St. Patrick's Day in Memphis: Here are 6 Irish pubs perfect for celebrating the holiday
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They say everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. So if you want to celebrate the holiday the Irish way, stop by one of these six Irish pubs in the Memphis area.
Corned Beef & Cabbage, Fish & Chips and Shepherd’s Pie are just a few of the traditional Irish dishes you will find at these Irish establishments on March 17.
And, of course, Guinness and green beers will be flowing.
Celtic Crossing Irish Pub
903 Cooper St.; (901) 274-5151; celticcrossingmemphis.com
Located in the Cooper-Young Historic District, Celtic Crossing Irish Pub serves up a variety of pints and Irish fare inspired by owner DJ Naylor’s traditional, Irish family recipes. Dishes like Irish Nachos (melted cheese, corned beef, tomatoes and green onions over hand-cut fries), Bangers & Mash and Corned Beef Sandwiches are customer favorites here.
Celtic has a full day of St. Patrick's Day fun planned this year.
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The fun beings at 9 a.m. Friday, with a limited food and drink menu. Activities include a parade on Cooper Street at 10 a.m., live music on the outside patio and stage throughout the day, and an Irish dance performance. Memphis Pipes Band bagpipers will perform throughout the day.
A Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner (Celtic’s version features sliced house-cured corned beef, boiled new potatoes, braised cabbage, carrots and a horseradish sauce) and green beer will be available on St. Patrick’s Day.
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday; 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.
Silky O’Sullivan’s
183 Beale St.; (901) 522-9596; silkyosullivans.com
The mantra at Silky O’Sullivan’s is that every day is St. Patrick’s Day. So for the actual holiday, this iconic Beale Street bar pulls out all the stops. The 50th annual Silky Sullivan St. Patrick’s Parade down Beale Street kicked off the festivities on March 11.
On St. Patrick's Day, Silky’s will celebrate all day. Expect special T-shirts, lots of giveaways (including green beads) and green beer, as well as plenty of Guinness, Harp, Smithwick’s, cider and Jameson Irish whiskey.
There will be live music day and night, both inside and outdoors on the patio.
Corned Beef and Cabbage (served with the traditional accompaniments of potatoes, carrots and rye bread) is on the menu now through March 17.
Insider tip: While on the patio be sure to visit Silky’s famed Irish goats. Late owner Thomas "Silky" Sullivan bought one of the animals in 1993 after visiting Kerry, Ireland, where residents crown a local goat for the annual Puck Fair. Today, two goats join the guests in the outdoor seating area, and they’ve been known to sneak a pint.
Hours: 4 p.m.-midnight Monday; noon-midnight Tuesday-Thursday; noon-2 a.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday.
The Brass Door
152 Madison Ave.; (901) 512-4497; thebrassdoor.com
Located in the heart of Downtown Memphis, The Brass Door is a family pub known for its welcoming hospitality and first-rate Irish fare, as well as an extensive selection of Irish spirits, a food-friendly wine list, local and Irish beers and ciders.
Memphis natives Scott and Meg Crosby, Killala, Ireland, native Seamus Loftus and partner Shawna Engel lovingly restored the 1913 Marx and Bensdorf building at 152 Madison and opened The Brass Door in 2011.
Fish & Chips, All Day Irish Breakfast (rashers, bangers, eggs, baked beans, mushrooms, black and white pudding and roasted tomato) and Shepherd’s Pie are a few of the traditional Irish dishes on the regular menu. They will also be serving a special Irish menu on St. Patrick’s Day.
Hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.
Murphy’s
1589 Madison Ave.; (901) 726-4193; murphysmemphis.com
Murphy’s has been a Midtown Memphis staple for more than 20 years. A quintessential dive bar with an Irish flair, this Irish pub may not offer much traditional Irish fare, but it does have excellent pub grub such as the Murphy Burger and the Basket O' Rings. They also have Murphy’s Irish Stout on tap.
For St. Patrick’s Day, Murphy’s will also serve up Corned Beef & Cabbage as well as Irish Nachos (Corned Beef served over waffle fries.)
The fun starts when the bar opens at 11 a.m. on Friday. Bands start at 3 p.m. and a “Blessing of the Kegs” by Irish Eyes of Memphis will be at 4 p.m.
Hours: 11 a.m.-3 a.m. Monday-Saturday; noon-3 a.m. Sunday.
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Dan McGuinness Irish Pub
3694 Goodman Road, Southaven, (662) 890-7611; mcguinnesssouth.com
St. Patrick's Day is the biggest day of the year at Dan McGuinness Irish Pub in Southaven.
Fish N Chips is the No. 1 seller at this DeSoto County Irish bar. Atlantic cod is dipped in a beer batter and fried until golden. It’s served with chips (French fries to us Americans) and a lemon dill tartar sauce. Traditional dishes of Corned Beef & Cabbage and Shepherd’s Pie are also on the menu, as well as an Irish Reuben.
Dan McGuinness will celebrate its 14th St. Patrick’s Day with live music (starting at 4 p.m.), bag pipes (at 7 p.m.), giveaways and lots of Guinness on draft and green beer.
Hours: Open daily 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
TJ Mulligan’s
Multiple locations: 8071 Trinity Road; 2821 N. Houston-Levee Road; 1817 Kirby Parkway; 2021 Madison Ave.; tjmulligans.com
TJ Mulligan's has been serving Memphians cold beers, pub grub and good times since 1989.
The restaurant founded by local restaurateur Lee Adams has had multiple locations across the city over the years. Today, there are four locations.
For St. Patrick’s Day, the restaurant will be adding a menu of Irish fare to its offerings. Choose from dishes like Irish Reubens, Shepherd’s Pie and Fish & Chips. TJ Mulligan’s also will be serving its “Memphis-style” Corned Beef. The Corned Beef is coated in an in-house dry rub and smoked all day.
And if you can’t decide on just one, order The Trilogy. It’s a sampler platter with Fish & Chips, Shepherd’s Pie and Corned Beef & Cabbage.
Bands start at 4 p.m. (check with each location for exact times).
And don’t worry, green beer is on the menu for the day.
Hours: Open daily 11 a.m.-3 a.m.
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: St. Patrick's Day in Memphis: Irish pubs to celebrate the holiday at
