O'Shea's Happy Hour

I tend to stay clear of pubs. Yes, it's partially because I'm from Boston, whose Irish history gets overplayed for tourists and therefore completely unauthentic pubs - as almost every American "Irish" pub is - can be found on every street in the city. Yes, its partially because I worked at quite possibly the most famous pub in America if not the world (trust me, they come from far and wide) and possibly the most unauthentic of the unauthentics (though it wasn't always that way).

Mostly, however, I stay clear of pubs because I simply don't enjoy being at one. They're almost always overpriced, most have a very "chainy" feel to them, they're a dime a dozen, and I just prefer dives. True pubs exist (and are great) but unfortunately the "Murray's" "O'Hanrahan's" and " Fitzy's" of our fine country tend to serve nachos brought to you buy cheap-looking women in short skirts who dance on the bar from time to time.

O'Shea's is, luckily, not quite that extreme and judging from the pictures on its walls is at least a fun place to be on St. Patrick's Day. Right down the street from Flanagan's (which it owns and I actually prefer) Molly Malone's (which it doesn't own and I admittedly don't care for) and that other one Donegan's (which just sort of exists), it actually took me awhile to finally go in any of the pubs on Baxter as their close proximity to one another too closely resembled the almost unbearable Faneuil Hall bars in Boston (think 4th Street Live). In fact, I probably mumbled something critical about "pub-alley" every time my girlfriend and I drove down Baxter for the first month I was in Louisville.

O'Shea's sticks out though, because of one thing: its patio. I love its patio. It's street level and practically on the sidewalk, its wide open, it's big, it has trees (and therefore shade, though the sun barely gets in to the patio area in the afternoon anyways), an outside bar, table service, and now a great happy hour. As far as a place to get a Guiness and sit outside goes, O'Shea's wins. At least on "pub alley."

What's more? They're going to start playing two movies on a projector screen on the patio every Monday night. The only time I've watched movies in a bar before was at one of my all-time favorites in Allston, MA  and it was usually very dark inside, very empty, I was on a large couch, and drinking $2 Brubaker. However, a movie outside, on a projector screen, on a summer Monday is an admittedly cool idea should it actually work, and if Monday's can keep the crowd minimal enough to actually hear the movie it's probably worth checking out.

My Examiner article is here

Specials are here:

• Happy Hour: $2 Bud Light pints, $3.50 well drinks, $10 bottles of Twisted brand wine, 1/2 off appetizers. Mon - Thur 5-8pm, Fridays 5-9pm starting July 16th CANCELED

•  Monday: "Sunset Cinema" on the patio. A large projection screen will show two films every Monday night, starting July 19th at sunset.
• Tuesday: $10 bottles of Twisted brand wines, after 6pm
• Wednesday: $3 Bells Oberon pints after 9pm, featured unique and/or specialty beer on tap at 7pm
• Thursday: Four kinds of Pinnacle Vodka punch bowls for $29.99 after 9pm

O'Shea's Traditional Irish Pub


956 Baxter Ave


(502) 589-7373