North Myrtle Beach, S.C. (WBTW) – St. Patrick’s day is 25 days away. Have you made plans on where you’re going to celebrate? Luckily for all of us, there’s a North Myrtle Beach Irish pub that prides itself on its authenticity.
“In 1965, the city built this as the municipal building. And it was the fire department, which consists of two fire trucks, and the city jail. The lock-up,” said John Corbett, owner of Flynn’s Irish Tavern. “And from my understanding, back in those days all the young kids would come down to the beach for a weekend and a lot of those ended up in those jails. I still got customers that come in and say ‘I’ve been here before but it wasn’t to eat.’.”
It’s Flynn’s Irish Tavern now. Corbett bought it from Marty Flynn in 2019.
“Marty Flynn. Great guy. He’s 81-years-old now. He comes in here about three nights a week, with friends to have dinner,” Corbett said. “He’s the type of guy that everybody loves him because he’s so genuine. One of the things that always impressed me about Marty is he never seems to be too excited about something that’s not going exactly how you want it to. And he’s always in control. Kind of like a mentor thing to me. Super nice person. Everybody loves him. You can’t say enough about him.”
Flynn’s from Ireland, County Roscommon to be exact. That’s why Corbett bought the place, because of its authenticity to real pubs in Ireland, and…
“One of the reasons I bought this place was to get the recipe for the potato soup,” said Corbett. “It’s that good.”
All the food’s that good. And it’s all made from scratch.
“Our Guinness gravy is homemade,” Corbett said. “Everything we do. Our corned beef — we cook here ourselves.”
And everything on the menu is just like they serve in Ireland. Well almost.
“You will have the traditionalists say, ‘You know, shepherd pie is supposed to be lamb.’ Honestly, you know my grandparents, when they cooked shepherd’s pie, and my grandmother is off the boat. So she made it with ground beef,” Corbett said. “And so we do it with ground beef, and some spices.”
Corbett said they used to have an Irish stew with lamb but it just didn’t sell. Something that is a good seller, Irish whiskey. There are 78 different kinds ranging in price from $7 to $92 dollars. It’s expected to be a hot seller on March 17th.
“For me, it’s a blur. For the customer, it’s a great time. Nobody’s sad on St. Paddy’s day. And everybody’s Irish on St. Paddy’s day,” Corbett said. “St. Paddy’s day here, it’s crowded from the sidewalk, to the back of the bar. The dining room is just a zoo. And our outside dining area and bar is again just packed. So Paddy’s Day is a real experience here.”
One other interesting note, Marty Flynn, the original owner, retired from Wall Street in the spring of 2001. His office was in the World Trade Center.
Flynn’s Irish Tavern is on Main Street in North Myrtle Beach.
If you’re thinking of going there for the St. Patrick’s Day parade get the early. Corbett said people start showing up at 7 a.m.
