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www.celtic-connection.com
JULY/AUGUST 2006
Dramatic Changes at Mulleady's Irish Pub
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DAVE MULLEADY standing at the bar in his new Seattle pub.
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
On my recent visit to Seattle, I didn't recognize Mulleady's Irish Pub. When I visited a few years ago, Dave Mulleady, who is from County Longford
in Ireland, had just opened his first Irish pub in the Magnolia area of Seattle.
In a recent telephone conversation, Dave told me that he had opened a new
PAT COYNE (owner of Pat Coyne's Irish Pub) is shown here with Brandi Hageman and Joe Lynch.
New Paddy Coyne's Opening in Tacoma
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
Many readers will remember Pat Coyne from the days when he played Gaelic football with the Seattle Gaels. The Connemara native is too busy now to play football, although he does bring in the Gaelic games live via satellite to Paddy Coyne's Irish Pub in Seattle.
Pat was the driving force who established both the Irish Emigrant Pub and Paddy Coyne's Irish Pub. On my recent visit to Seattle, I stopped in to visit Pat. I was surprised to learn that he has recently sold the Irish Emigrant and he is currently working on opening a new Paddy Coyne's in Tacoma, Washington.
He said, "I just sold the Irish Emigrant last month. It's still going to be the Irish Emigrant, still run the same way with the same staff, the same food, and the same entertainment. There will still be an Irish music session on Wednesday night and it will remain an Irish pub."
The new Paddy Coyne's Pub will open in either September or October in Tacoma and Pat said, "It will be very similar to the Seattle location, maybe a little larger. Same type of decor, same layout, food menu and design. It will have outdoor seating at the front, not actually a patio, just outside. We will also have Irish music sessions in Tacoma on Sundays, just the same as we have here in Seattle."
Pat laughed when he told me, "I opened the Irish Emigrant in 1999 and back then I didn't have any grey hair." Pat Coyne, hasn't had the time to get back to Connemara to visit his parents for sometime, but he's planning a trip this summer.
"I'm hoping to go back to Connemara this July or August, but I keep in touch regularly with them by phone. Our conversations are always in Irish because that's the language they still speak there. That's what they were born and raised with and they'll never lose it and I'll never lose it."
Stay tuned to The Celtic Connection for more information about Paddy Coyne's new pub in Tacoma.
Mulleady's Pub. He had moved a little way down the street from the original pub, and he invited me to drop in and see for myself.
What a great job they've done on Mulleady's. From the outside to the inside and upstairs, it's like a pub that you would walk into in Ireland. Visitors feel right at home, and with Dave behind the bar, the craic is 90.
"We opened the old location in 2001 and we had a short lease for five years," Dave told me. "We knew that going into it, and it just so happened -luck of the Irish - that this building opened up for us just around the time we were losing our lease.
"Renovating this new building, was an extensive renovation. We literally tore it asunder right down to the studs, but we had an idea what we wanted to do. We wanted to do a nicer style pub, one like you'd find in Ireland.
"My business partner Carl Rogers and I went to Ireland to look at pubs and decide what we wanted for Mulleady's. Carl owns the Blarney Stone in downtown Seattle and the Old Pequliar Pub, so he's no stranger to pubs."
And all decor at Mulleady's came directly from Ireland and the pub features fine wood flooring upstairs and downstairs. Both the upper and lower level fireplaces, which were modeled on ones in the west of Ireland, are built with a stone-like slate, adding to the authenticity.
A local Mexican artist designed beautiful wrought iron railings leading to the upstairs room, adding a warm touch to the surroundings.
Directly out in the front of the pub is a nice little patio which can seat around 40 people. Dave has also just opened a coffee stand on the patio, so you can sit and sip your coffee (where would Seattle be without coffee?), and enjoy the scenery.
The Seattle Gaels men and women's Gaelic football teams practice in Magnolia every week, and afterwards they gather in Mulleady's for a bit of a social.
Speaking about the food menu Dave said, "We have an eclectic mix of Irish and American food. Our chef has 15 years experience in the business and used to work at the well-known Ray's Boathouse.
"We have received nothing but compliments about our food. We knew when we opened this pub that food was going to be the backbone of the place and a very important part of the equation. We're opened 10 months, and I think we have it all dialed in now.
"Normally every Saturday we have Irish session music upstairs around the open fire, but we've taken abreak for the summer months and we'll get going again in the Fall."
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FADO IRISH PUB - Front Row (L-R): Sinead Walsh, Carter Hartsell, Gerry Leonard (general manager at Fado's in Seattle) and Brandi Kennedy. Back Row: Rob Watts.
TRADITIONAL
IRISH BREAKFAST ALL DAY LONG AT FADO'S
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
On a recent visit to Seattle, I stopped into Fado's Irish Pub, which is located in the heart of downtown Seattle, and within walking distance of the famous Pike Market Place.
Glasgow-born, Gerry Leonard is the new general manager at the establishment, and he took time out from a very hectic month of World Cup soccer madness to sit down for a chat with me and bring me up-to-date on what is happening at Fado's.
Gerry is a big Glasgow Celtic supporter, so it's not unexpected that he has plans to start a Glasgow Celtic Supporters Club at Fado's. "So far, we've got eight members," he said, "but we're hoping to spread the word and build up the membership for the new season.
"We'll be bringing in the games live and serving pints as well. So, anyone interested in seeing a Celtic game, should contact me here at the pub. We will also be showing the English Premier League games, rugby, soccer, and all the European sports."
Gerry recently moved to Seattle from Florida, and he said, "I'm enjoying Seattle very much. For me Seattle is Fado's, that's all I see, but that's all I need now. All my interest is in the pub.
"I'm getting ready to move my family up from Florida, so we're all looking forward to that. I have two sons who are big Glasgow Celtic supporters as well, so that's two members that I forgot about!"
Fado's is located close to all the sports stadiums in Seattle, so when the Mariners and Sea Hawks are playing at home the pub is a busy place. They offer live music five nights a week with an Irish session on Sunday. Wednesday night is a little bit acoustic, while on Thursday, Friday and Saturday they have more lively music for the weekend crowd.
The traditional Irish dish boxty (like a pancake but made with potatoes) has taken on a new life at Fado's. Their chef makes chicken quesadillas in a boxty wrap, giving an Irish flavour to a Mexican dish. Boxty is also used as a wrap for steak and mushrooms, another very popular item on the menu.
Fado's also offers a great menu selection for Sunday brunch, and features another unique menu item - green eggs and ham. This delicious dish consists of scrambled eggs, ham steak and pesto. Another popular item is the traditional Irish breakfast, which is served all day long.
Fado's Irish Pub is located at 801 First Avenue at the corner of First and Columbia in downtown Seattle. For more information, call (206) 264-2700, or visit: www.fadoirishpub.com.