Lowcountry bars, restaurants gear up for St. Patrick’s Day, leaders urge vigilance
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are set to get underway across the Lowcountry this weekend and bar owners and local leaders are making final preparations to keep everyone safe.
Many bar owners planning St. Patrick’s Day celebrations across the Lowcountry say while they can’t have the normal celebrations, it serves as an opportunity to turn the page on COVID-19 after a year full of challenges.
“It’s Christmas for us,” says Allan Vandall, a Co-Owner of Tommy Condon’s Irish Pub in Downtown Charleston. “This is a big day for us.”
St. Patrick’s Day 2020 marked the day COVID-19 became real in South Carolina. Governor McMaster announced bars and restaurants would close the next day and a lockdown would follow shortly after.
“They cut our throats on St. Patrick’s Day last year so we’re excited to be back to normal,” says Vandall.
Bars and restaurants closed, streets quiet at the end of a day known for it’s celebrations and spirits marking the beginning of some of the hardest months for restaurants and bars.
“With the threat of the virus looming and then obviously the Governor coming out on St. Patrick’s Day and saying he was going to shut everything down the next day dampened everybody’s spirits,” says Jamie Maher, General Manager of Dunleavy’s Pub on Sullivan’s Island.
A year later, vaccines are now being administered and with a step back in restrictions, Maher says Dunleavy’s Pub on Sullivan’s Island is ready to serve corned beef and green beer.
“There seems to be a lot of people who are like ‘oh we can’t wait to come out and celebrate as normal as we can during this time,'” says Maher.
In the City of Charleston, officials are laying out safety plans to keep bar goers and visitors safe.
“Our officers will be out enforcing the mask mandate throughout the weekend and through the holiday,” says Dan Riccio who serves as the City of Charleston’s Director of Livability and Tourism.
With the holiday weekend upon us, Riccio says officials are anticipating larger crowds out and about around town including spring breakers visiting the area.
“We just want people to come to Charleston, enjoy themselves and remain vigilant,” says Riccio.
A year of dark moments starting to turn around. For Tommy Condon’s and Dunleavy’s Pub, they’re just happy the green beer will be flowing.
“Yeah it’s looking positive, we’re excited about getting back to normal,” says Vandall.
“It’s just a day, I don’t know that makes you feel good inside – St. Patrick’s Day,” says Maher. “Everybody you know what they say, everybody is Irish for that day.”
Of course not all things back to normal this St. Patrick’s Day. Charleston’s annual parade was cancelled because of COVID-19 but city leaders hope it’ll be back in 2022.
