Sunday, March 16, 2008

O'Donolds celebrates St. Patrick's in new location

By Katie Libecco

NILES - Restaurant and bargoers will get a chance to experience the new O'Donold's, 5154 Youngstown-Warren Road, with their St. Patrick's Day celebration Monday.

The venue, formerly a Pizza Hut, is a world of change from the previous location farther down Youngstown-Warren Road in Warren. Following six months of renovations, owners Joan and Mike Quinlan have created "an authentic Irish pub."

"We hope to make it a true Irish pub," Joan Quinlan says.

The new location features a solid cherry bar and immaculate black doors, custom made by Cortland Hardwoods. There's stonework throughout the bar as dividers with trinkets inlaid that are illustrative of the Irish theme, including a Notre Dame glass, rock from Blarney Castle, sand from Galway City from Ireland and a Guinness top from the factory. The furniture is also from Ireland, as are decorative pieces throughout the restaurant.

"O'Donold's became a bar. This is going to be a pub," Quinlan says.

She says O'Donold's will feature an expanded dinner menu with Irish entrees. The bar features an extensive selection of beer on draft.

You can check it out for the first time, appropriately, for St. Patrick's Day.

The St. Patrick's Day celebration will begin at 10 a.m. with food, beer and Irish music by the Quinlan's Irish band, Rose and Thistle. County Mayo will begin performing at 3 p.m., and will alternate sets with Rose and Thistle. Celtic Flame pipe band will perform at 5:45 p.m. and the Burke Irish Stepdancers will perform at 7:30 p.m.

Quinlan says O'Donold's will close Tuesday to clean up after the St. Patrick's Day celebration, but will re-open Wednesday. She says they expect to have an official grand opening for O'Donolds around Easter.