You don’t need a four-year degree majoring in "Savannah" to know and understand how deep its Irish Heritage runs. We all know how big St. Patrick’s Day is around here, yes? That’s the lowest of low-hanging fruit whenever the Irish and Savannah come up. What most people don’t know is how deep the ties between the Hostess City of the South and Ireland run. Unless you ran a Google deep dive, there wasn’t really a place to see what those ties were all about.
Now you can while enjoying a pint, some food or a good book inside of Savannah’s newest pub. It’s called Wexford Pub and it is equal parts Irish Pub and history lesson. It promises to be one of the most popular stops for any visitor for many, many years. Yes, it’s that beautiful. Yes, it’s that well thought out. Wexford Pub opened to the public this week in the City Market space formerly occupied by Wild Wing Cafe. The 14,000-square-foot (not a typo) restaurant and live music venue has been a project 4 years in the making. July of 2020 is when business partners involved agreed they would "go for it" and make this restaurant as much of a museum, and an homage to Irish Heritage, as they possibly could.
They’ve spared no expense. It’s a home run.
The journey began with a visit to a historian at Georgia Southern University. Someone who knew how deep the ties between Savannah and County Wexford Ireland run. They were overjoyed that someone was looking into bringing this chapter of Savannah’s history to the masses. The story, you see, goes back to the Great Potato Famine of 1845. Roughly a million people died as a result, two million more fled the country. Many of those landed here in Savannah to start a new life. The relationship has been intertwined ever since.
Wexford Pub’s walls are adorned with as much of the history as they could possibly find. If they couldn’t use an original artifact, they had replicas made. A Dublin-based design firm was hired to create what has become known in the industry as a “Super Pub.” We are told there are fewer than five in America. The newest one in the heart of Savannah.
There’s no wasted space. Anything you see on a wall or in a cabinet has a story or a tie to the history. The furnishings are simply beautiful. It’s a warm, inviting and beautifully appointed pub. It’s a tighter squeeze, frankly, than I thought it would be, but that is part of its charm. Two bars on the ground floor dominate the space. Tables and booths everywhere else. I loved it. The food is what you would expect. Fish and Chips, Shepard’s Pie, Pot Roast and many other classics. There’s a burger, of course, wings and chicken tenders. Salads and shareables. Everything I had I very much enjoyed. The Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake is made locally and will leave you talking about it for hours. Exceptional. I cannot recommend it enough.
The ground floor pub is welcoming and lively. Televisions are scattered. It’s not a sports bar, but you can figure a big game will be on when the need arises. In the interim? They have a live stream feed of the Temple Bar in the heart of Dublin. Quite clever and fascinating, frankly.
Those televisions will also be able to show the music going on upstairs. Live music will be a big part of this project. Acoustic “sing along” types will be out front 7 days a week downstairs. On the weekends upstairs there will be more formal musical enjoyment. There’s another bar on the second floor, as well as any number of well appointed "snug" sections of the space that offer a little more privacy. I think it’s perfect. Beautiful as well.
I’m surprised no one took a stab at anything like this sooner. No matter, it’s done now and waiting for you to enjoy. I believe everyone will. What I’ve come to learn through 20 years in this beautiful city is that, yes, the Irish roots are cause for a good time here, especially come March. But beyond all of that, it’s the love and the passion that the families bring to the equation that make Savannah’s ties to Ireland felt as strongly as they are. And now they have a new gathering place to enjoy year-round.
