IRISH PUB APPEAL REVEALED ON "PASSPORT
TO DESIGN: IRISH PUB SPECIAL" ON
THE TRAVEL CHANNEL
If you want a healthy swig of Irish “good craic and gargles,” this St. Patrick’s Day, check out the
Travel Channel’s special on Irish pubs. Host JoAnne Liebeler learns the secrets
behind the charming ambiance of Irish pubs in an hour-long television show, Passport to Design:”Irish Pub Special”, airing Saturday, March 13 at
Passport to Design went to
Armed with this knowledge, the Irish pub décor is adapted
for two Midwestern re-modeling projects, a commercial tavern in
In a final twist, Passport
to Design returns to
Passport to Design is an original production of Two by
Four Productions in association with the Travel Channel. Executive Producers for Two by Four
Productions are Joanne Liebeler and Dean Pedersen, and for the Travel Channel,
Joe Swift, with Kya Marrero as Associate Producer. Travel
Channel is the only television network devoted exclusively to travel
entertainment, delivering insightful stories from the world’s most popular
destinations and inspiring diversions. It is available in more than 67 million
homes and is a service of Discovery Networks,
Project #1 background
- The Rustic Hut/Connelly's Pub & Grill
Tavern owner Barb Rauchnot wants
to transform her dated, country-western bar into an Irish pub. The renamed
Connelly's Pub & Grill will honor her Irish-American mother, Aggie
Connelly. Barb has a budget of $65,000 and a tight timeline of three weeks.
The bar has been in Barbara's family for two decades and
she's owned it for five years. "I love my Irish heritage; I'm proud of it
and want to share it with the locals," she says. "If you don't take a
risk, you don't know what it's all about."
The demolition begins as designer Ed Hawksford
strips the entire area clean. The cedar shakes and shag rugs are shucked away.
The floor is refinished and re-carpeted. New walls go up to create a closer,
more intimate feel. The horseshoe bar is reconfigured and moved closer to the
door. The back bar is stripped and replaced with mirrored shelves and pub
glasses. Snugs and booths are added for privacy from
the general restaurant. Church pews are cut down and repurposed as corner
benches.
A two-sided gas fireplace with a direct vent is installed
dividing the room and creating a cozy space.
The screen is made to order with Celtic designs, and re-cast stones of
lightweight concrete resemble the old stack-stone walls of
An antique dealer specializing in British wares offers fine
oak beams and wall sconces. An 1880s bar, sixteen feet
long and handcrafted with Irish designs, is purchased for $2,000. It would have cost $12,000 to build. Stained
glass windows and colorful light fixtures are brought in and hung.
Inexpensive vinyl panels suggest stressed-tin ceilings. They
are lightweight, affordable and easily installed. The sections are glued and
popped into place.
To make the outside entrance more welcoming, the building
front is painted a dark green with gold lettering, and new exterior light
fixtures are added. The old outside sign is taken down and replaced with
"Connelly's Pub & Grill" in gold letters on elegant green
reflecting the entry.
Barbara is hesitant about excluding a big buffalo head that
has been hanging on the wall. She raised the animal from a small calf, and to JoAnne's great dismay
(there are no buffalos in
Will the Connelly's Pub & Grill make the three-week
deadline? Will the buffalo head make the cut?
Meanwhile, JoAnne is helping Maggie and Paul King and their
four children transform their basement party room into an appealing pub, with a
$4,000 budget.
"We're excited about having an Irish Pub in our house,"
says Maggie. "My parents would always bring us to the St. Patrick's Day
Parade in
Designer Nan Sloan plans a lavish back bar with mirrors and
pine shelving, using the Kings' old bedroom dresser.
For the bar top, carpenter Connell Johnston uses oak veneer
stained richly dark. The bar is fronted with knotty pine panels, which are
stained and distressed to create an aged effect. Bottles of liquor, chosen for
their bright colors, are set on the back bar shelves. A water color of a shop
scene in Galway, painted by Maggie's father, is hung on the wall, along with
Guinness Stout mirrored signs, a map of Ireland, walls sconces and stained-glass
fixtures.
The King's lovely daughter Jennifer handcrafts an Irish
blessing over a wall soffit..
After the Midwest Irish pubs are completed, JoAnne brings
the results back to the
"I wouldn't have one in my home. The Irish go to a pub
to do their drinking!" (85% of the Irish drink in pubs, compared to 15% of
Americans who drink in bars.)
The spirit of both sides is celebrated in the blessing inscribed
in the King home:
May the
road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always
at your back.
May the sun shine warm
upon your face;
The rains fall soft upon
your fields and until we meet again,
May God hold you in the
palm of His hand.
PUBLICITY CONTACT:
Georgia
Gould-Lyle, 763-546-8715, GeorgiaGL@aol.com