What makes O’Brien’s so unique is that it is authentically Irish. The two partners are Irish, as is their manager: Garvin McCloskey, a cancer survivor and marathoner who just moved to New Paltz last week from Donegal to help with the business. “He’s my brother, and I can’t tell you how happy I am he’s here,” said Murtagh of McCloskey, who was featured in the Donegal newspaper when he announced that he was heading to the US. “We’ve been through so much together, and seeing him come through third-stage lymphoma, coming back and getting his best time in the New York City Marathon, made me so proud and grateful. He’s raised hundreds of thousands for the Ireland Cancer Society, and wants to do the same here with the American Cancer Society.”
The two men could not be more charming, and meet and greet everyone who walks into the door as if they’re old friends — and quickly, their patrons are becoming their good friends. “Kevin called me and said he needed help, so the cavalry has arrived!” said McCloskey, whose wife and children are on their way in a few months to join him. “I was telling the wife that I can’t believe how welcoming everyone is, how friendly. It’s actually choked me up, to be honest.”
“These are all repeat customers,” said Murtagh. “That’s the greatest thing we could hope for. They came once, and kept coming back. The guy that did the mural, Howard Miller, and I have become good friends. He’s a character, and I really enjoyed getting to know him.” The mural depicts a turn-of-the-century traditional Irish pub scene, with people sipping on their Guinness, playing instruments, swapping stories — and then, of course, there is Mr. James Joyce pondering the world.
That’s only one element that Murtagh and Mahoney put into the building. “Mickey can do anything, and the two of us put in this pot-bellied woodstove. Then he built this rock wall; we redid all of the booths and commissioned a wrought-iron fixture with Celtic knots on top that we anchored to four whiskey barrels.”
Murtagh explained that the previous owner had left the place very open. “We didn’t want that. We wanted to warm it up, close it in, make it comfortable and cozy like a real Irish pub. We’re not interested in making it a college drinking bar — not at all. I was taught by an old barman from Connemara that you want to treat people like they’ve entered your living room. Offer them a drink, give them sugar, a napkin, make sure they’re comfortable. But he also said that if they break your coffee table or start trashing your living room, you kick them out. That’s what a good barman does. We welcome anyone in, as long as they’re ladies and gentlemen. But I would never let one fool ruin the experience of 50 people enjoying themselves in my living room!”
While the atmosphere is charming, warm, inviting and aesthetically pleasing, the food is what people are raving about. The head chef, Noel Farrell from Kilkenny, is a classically trained chef who has worked on presidential inauguration dinners and heads-of-state dinners in Japan and all over the world. He’s an expert in traditional Irish cooking, as well as a fanatic about making everything from scratch, creating garnishes that are pieces of art in and of themselves.
Murtagh laughs. “This guy is amazing. He’s almost 70 and has the energy of a 21-year-old. He sees everything, and he has me running to the market every day, twice a day, because he makes his own beef base, peels and slices potatoes to make his own French fries, bakes fresh scones and muffins every morning. I’ve learned so much from him, and when I hand someone their entrée and say, ‘I hope you enjoy it,’ I know they will! For the first few weeks, people were taking pictures of their food before they ate it, the presentation was so beautiful.”
Just a quick glance at the brunch buffet showed watermelons carved into animals, radishes sculpted into roses, spears of strawberries shooting out from dishes like towers, salads laid onto sliced pineapple.
According to Murtagh, some of the best selling entrées are Shea O’Brien’s shepherds’ pie, fish and chips with handmade French fries, cod dipped in an ale batter and “our filet mignon and the sauces he makes!” There is something for everyone on the Shea O’Brien’s lunch/dinner menu, which is written in both Gaelic and English.
“I think people are just happy to have an authentic Irish-run pub and restaurant with a chef that spares no expense nor detail when preparing their food,” said Murtagh.
Shea O’Brien’s is located at 127 Main Street in New Paltz. For additional information, call 255-5273.
