They say “All good things must come to an end,” but not if you’re Maher’s Irish Pub. Instead, “All good things must continue…just with a name change,” according to new co-owner, Justyn Reese who has invited the original owners, the Maher family, to help kick off the annual St. Patrick’s Day Festival this week with a “passing of the torch/Guinness” at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 15.

After the handoff, Maher’s will become The Dullahan Irish Pub but besides the name change, Justyn and his co-owners, wife Heather and brother Brian, expect to carry on the traditions that have made the local pub a popular spot.

That starts with a festive lineup for the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration which runs from 11:00 a.m. Friday until 11:00 p.m. Sunday night. Activities include live music, Irish dancers, bag pipers, giveaways, drink specials and Irish classics like corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie, and bangers.

Whiskey drinkers will not want to miss this year’s event. The pub will be featuring a rye whiskey that has been out of production for 130 years from Kilbeggan, the oldest continually licensed distillery in Ireland. And a Jameson Whiskey representative will be on hand offering tastings. And if you agree with Mark Twain that “Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough,” then head over to the ICB (Irish Car Bomber) station to round out the night.

The event will be kid-friendly until 5:00 p.m., with a $10 cover charge going into effect starting at 4:00 p.m. Sunday morning, starting at 11:00 a.m. kids can enjoy face painting and outside games as well.

Justyn has been in the industry for 16 years as a bartender, manager, performer and musician and has been looking for an opportunity for a place to call his own. His family fell in love with the personality of Maher’s pub and hope to breathe their passion for the business into it.

The Dullahan name? Let’s just say that’s another story to be revealed in the future and something tells me it’s going to take another party to tell it.

The pub is located at 352 B Avenue. 503.305.8087.

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