The two friends — Murtagh, a lifelong barman, and Mahoney, a skilled contractor — looked at 127 Main, had coffee downtown, breakfast at Tommy C’s, a drink at the Gilded Otter and by the end of their tour, Murtagh was sold. “The people here are amazingly open and friendly. The town was hopping, the building was perfect and I thought that we could bring an authentic Irish pub and restaurant here that the community would embrace. And they have.”
“I was in New York City two weeks ago, and my phone blew up with people texting me how great the Sunday brunch was at Shea O’Brien’s,” said Deb Rauch, owner of In Good Taste Wine and Spirits and wife of Rick Rauch, who owns the Gilded Otter. They were there with family to enjoy the magnificent spread. “Word of mouth is everything, and these guys are doing a fantastic job,” she said.
“That’s the thing of it,” said Murtagh. “This is a real community. We’re not in competition with one another; we want to support each other and bring more people to New Paltz. They could have lunch here, and some drinks at P&G’s, or have dinner at the Gilded Otter and come up here and enjoy a pint afterwards.”
He greeted the owner of Kimlin Propane, who was there to enjoy brunch, and told the New Paltz Times that the “real success of this place is the gas!”
Murtagh mentioned how he wanted to decorate the outside of the restaurant when they opened in October, and was directed to the Wallkill View Farm. “Sandy [Ferrante] was so helpful. He loaded up all of our barrels of hay and mums and delivered them to us with his truck. I can’t tell you how much this community has opened their arms to us. When it’s growing season, I want to utilize all of the local fresh produce we can!”
