Joseph Patrick Byrne stepped away from his bar for a few moments to chat and answer some questions.
“We?re not a five-star restaurant, you know. It?s all pub grub here, like fish ?n chips,” he said in his melodic Irish dialect.
That plain fact, along with beer on tap, a spirited neighborhood crowd and lively music and dancing, defines J. Patrick?s Irish Pub.
It will be 20 years this January since Byrne opened his establishment on the corner of Andre and East Clement streets in Locust Point.
He named his pub after himself, and over the years, it has become a shrine to local flavor and colorful clientele who are friendly and willing to engage in a chat.
There?s nothing fancy or contrived about this real deal of a pub. No less than 10 taps pour the likes of Guinness, Bass and Harp, to name a few, for thirsty patrons gathered around a large rectangular bar that dominates the room.
The pub?s partially paneled walls are plastered with posters, maps of Ireland and Civil War banners. Wait, the American Civil War?
“Haven?t you ever heard of the 69th division?” asked bartender Dan Stanton. “They were the fighting Irish.”
Stanton, the current president of Baltimore?s Emerald Isle Club, knows his history.
He also knows the intricate steps of Irish dance and conducts a class every Wednesday night, which is open to the public at, he says, “a dollar a foot.”
If beer, ale and camaraderie are the heart of this pub, then surely the entertainment is its soul.
Authentic Irish bands, such as Ross Nareen, perform on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, often using the instruments of Ireland ? Uillean pipes, tin whistles and the Bodhran, a type of small drum.
Traditional Irish music sessions take place every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
These sessions are a mix of all skill levels, said Byrne, who points out that most of the session musicians are classically trained.
Laura Byrne (no relation to Joseph) is a talented flautist who appears each Tuesday night, often with the group Ellis Island.
On the second Sunday of every month, J. Patrick?s hosts a Ceili (Gaelic for dance) from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. followed by live music.
Joseph Patrick Byrne enjoys running his pub and notes that business is good.
“The brand new [Irish] pubs around town do take away some of my business,” he said, “but I wish them all well.There?s room for everybody.”
If you go
J. Patrick?s Irish Pub
» Location: 1371 Andre St., Locust Point
» Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily
» Entertainment: 8 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday; 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday and Sunday
» Info: 410-244-8613
