theESTABLISHMENT BEST-LOVED WATERING HOLES
The Heart and Crown Irish Pubs There’s a welcome there for you
By TERRY RYAN With St. Paddy’s Day fast
approaching, and my Bounder deadline looming, Irish Pubs were on my mind. So when it was suggested that I drop in to see the folks at the Heart and Crown (at the corner of Parent Avenue and Clarence Street) it seemed like a perfect fit. It isn’t that easy to find a pub that has
survived any serious length of time in this town, and even rarer finding one that has actually grown under the leadership of a couple of hard-working gents from Ireland: Larry Bradley and Pat Kelly. The first Heart and Crown pub
opened in 1992 and the growth of the establishment has been sure and steady ever since. Today, with more than 400 employees, they take up an entire block in the Byward Market that many refer to as the Irish Village. There you will find The Heart and
Crown (1992); the Snug Pub (built in 1997); Mother McGinty’s and the Black Rose (effectively doubling their capacity in 2001). These pubs are all interconnected, and you can wander through the buildings admiring the
woodwork, artwork and the warm feeling of a traditional Irish pub. They expanded again in 2011 with the addition of Peter Devine’s in 2011. They have six patios and can seat up to 960 people in full operation. They also brought a few other pubs
into the family over this time. In 2004 they opened The Aulde Dubliner & Pour House at 62 William Street, which boasts a mezzanine patio on the second level looking over the ByWard Market. In 2007 they acquired the James Street Pub (formerly the James Street Feed Company) at James and Bank Street along with the second Heart and Crown Irish Pub and Restaurant at 353 Preston Street. Now don’t be making the mistake of
thinking this is some cookie-cutter set of Irish pubs that you can find anywhere, for you would be sadly mistaken. The pubs are unique; the furnishings, flooring and artwork come from Ireland; and there’s some amazing woodwork, signage and pub mirrors, created by Stittsville’s own Doug Bernhardt Signs Co., which won First Place in the 2012 Signs of the Times
26 BOUNDER MAGAZINE
www.bounder.ca
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