Paddy Murphy’s Brings Ireland to Marco Island

St. Patrick’s Day was a bit more mirth-filled and festive than usual on Marco with the grand opening of Paddy Murphy’s Irish Pub. 

Standing room only was the order of the day, all day, at the Marco Town Center establishment, where green-clad revelers filled the interior and lined the exterior from opening to close. 

“The day itself exceeded all expectations,” said a still-energized Michael O’Regan the following day. He co-owns the restaurant and bar with his son, Mike, and fellow Marco Island resident Johnny “Spoons” McNaboe. “It was just an incredible day. We're just so thankful to the community for supporting us.”

A 10:00 AM opening had been planned, but as happens with plans, they can sometimes go awry, especially for a restaurant or bar that doesn’t have a “soft opening,” an unveiling with invited guests to iron out any kinks before opening to the public. Such was the case for Paddy Murphy’s that morning. 

“We didn't have a soft opening, so everything that could have gone wrong went wrong,” said O’Regan. “The sound system wasn't working properly. The computer system wasn't working. It's kind of Murphy's Law, I suppose. We went from zero to grand opening all in one day.”

People began lining up outside around 10:00 AM eagerly awaiting the opening, and the crowd patiently remained for the two hours it took for the doors to open. 

“I was expecting everybody to really be mad for standing out in the heat,” said O’Regan. We brought them water so they were hydrated. We finally opened the doors and they just came in screaming, ‘Woo Hoo!’ They were just delighted to get in. And then the party started, and it was just incredible. I mean, it was wall to wall from 12 until probably 9 or 10 at night.”

Paddy Murphy’s occupies a roughly 3,000-square-foot corner space situated between Dunkin’ (formerly Dunkin’ Donuts) and the Marco Island Post Office. The interior features a 50-foot-long bar and some traditional Irish-design accents, some imported from the Emerald Isle. There are two stages for live music provided by O’Regan and his wife, Mary Jo, a realtor with Premier Sotheby's International Realty’s Marco Island office. There’s also an outdoor patio with an indoor-outdoor bar. 

This will be the second incarnation of Paddy Murphy’s. The first operated for 22 years from a location on 5th Ave. South in Naples. It closed in 2020 when the building owners decided to redevelop the property. Efforts to find another Naples location failed, which led O’Regan to inquire about the Town Center space while the plaza was being refurbished by its current owner, Brixmor Property Group.

An early 2022 debut had been the initial goal for the grand opening, but a variety of factors combined to delay the process. 

Among the mid-afternoon celebrants was an enthusiastic Rose Kriberscheck, former manager of the Crazy Flamingo pub, also in Marco Town Center. 

“I have to support our local businesses, and Mary Jo and Michael are part of that,” she said in explaining her presence. “Paddy Murphy's is just going to be a great place to come to.”

She was overwhelmed by the turnout. 

“I cannot believe how the community came together for these people,” she said.” I mean, we watched them struggle for two years to build this place. It's wonderful, wonderful.”

That sentiment was echoed by Samantha Malloy, Manager of Parks, Recreation and Culture for the City of Marco Island.

“It's been a long time, so we're excited that it's open again,” she said. “We're excited that it's an Irish pub, which we desperately need on Marco Island. It's a great place and hopefully, it will be a good place for the community to come to.”

O’Regan expressed thanks to a variety of people and companies for helping to make the opening possible, including contractor HVG Construction of Naples, his carpenter friends, Hoosier Plumbing of Naples, and a host of friends and family members. 

As little as two weeks ago, a major amount of interior work was required to ready the space for its St. Patrick’s Day debut. However, on the holiday, there were no tell-tell signs of a frenzied work pace. 

“It took a village to achieve opening on St. Patrick's Day,” added O’Regan. “From 4 o’clock on Friday evening, there was a revolving door of friends and family helping us until we opened. I can't even name them all, but they know who they are. On top of that, the City of Marco Island staff were instrumental in helping us get our temporary certificate of occupancy.”

He credited Raul Perez, the city’s chief building official, along with personnel from the city’s fire department, the planning and zoning department, and the building inspectors, for being integral to enabling the occupancy certificate to happen. 

“I think a lot of people thought that the city was the reason it took so long to build Paddy Murphy's, but nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “If it wasn't for their help and guidance, we would have never achieved our goal.”

Plans called for the opening to include a kitchen specializing in traditional Irish fare. Those plans were revised in order to complete construction in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Instead, the kitchen will be completed over the summer, and a staff hired before the next tourist season begins. 

“We'll work hard to get the kitchen open and moving forward, to give the local community the place they deserve and a place to call home,” said O’Regan. 

For more information about Paddy Murphy’s Irish Pub, please visit facebook.com/PaddyMurphys239. Paddymurphys.com is under construction but will be functional soon. Marco Town Center is located at 1017 N. Collier Boulevard, at the intersection with Bald Eagle Drive.