Family stories, countless pints of Guinness, thousands of pounds of corned beef, and Celtic music have shaped Dublin Bay Irish Pub & Grill into a place where St. Patrick’s Day feels both festive and familiar.
The holiday, which lands on Tuesday, March 17, is about community as much as celebration, longtime owner Donny O’Brien said.
The restaurant is marking its 25th year in Ames, and the milestone adds extra warmth to a holiday that already fills the pub with hundreds of visitors.
O’Brien said the celebration has grown far beyond what he imagined when the restaurant opened in 2001.
“The first year, our St. Patrick’s Day celebration was pretty small. Now it’s a tradition for a lot of people,” O’Brien said during an interview at the pub. “It is pretty exciting.”
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Ames
The anniversary comes with a familiar rhythm. Dublin Bay will open at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, March 17, for its once‑a‑year Irish breakfast, a tradition that draws regulars who return annually and often request the same table.
“Every year they come in and have breakfast,” O’Brien said. “It’s a tradition for them too.”
The patio will again be enclosed and heated, a setup that has kept crowds comfortable even in extreme weather. O’Brien remembers one year when temperatures dipped to 13 below zero.
“But it felt good in there because we had the heaters, so it was warm inside the tents,” he said. “People will stay and have fun at St. Paddy’s.”
An Ames St. Patrick’s Day celebration rooted in family
Much of Dublin Bay’s décor comes from O’Brien’s own family, including photos, suitcases and heirlooms brought back from Ireland, dating back to his great-great-grandfather, the first in the family to immigrate.
“We’ve always felt that it’s very important that there’s a story,” he said. “If somebody walks up and says, ‘Tell me about the St. Jude Memorial,’ well, that was one of our guys — it was his grandfather.”
O’Brien’s ancestral photos are featured in the back dining room at Dublin Bay, grouped together for the different branches of his family. A stack of vintage suitcases are stenciled with the names of his three sisters, Marianne, Peggy and Shannon.
Dublin Bay’s boxty: A signature Irish dish
Food is naturally a staple at Ames’ longstanding Irish pub.
General manager Justin Kabrick said the boxty remains one of the most distinctive items on Dublin Bay’s menu.
“A boxty is a potato pancake,” he said. “It’s filled with either our Guinness beef or our corned beef, and then we top it with a Gorgonzola cream sauce.”
It’s challenging to find another restaurant in Iowa with a boxty on the menu.
O’Brien said the Guinness‑marinated beef brings a hint of sweetness that plays against the sharpness of the cheese.
“It’s kind of like caramelized onions with blue cheese on a steak,” he said. “You get that crazy flavor.”
Dublin Bay is top seller of Guinness in Iowa
On St. Patrick’s Day, Dublin Bay serves hundreds of pounds of corned beef and cabbage, an Irish dish that is actually available every day, but is especially popular on the holiday.
Other Irish favorites will be available throughout Tuesday, including shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, and lamb stew.
Dublin Bay is known for its locally sourced lamb and as the No. 1 seller of Guinness in Iowa.
“We sell a lot of Guinness,” O’Brien said. “It’s best when it’s fresh, and it doesn’t sit here long. We’re going through it.”
There is no green beer at Dublin Bay, a deliberate choice. Kabrick said dyeing beer in‑house turns customers’ mouths green, and pre‑dyed kegs are no longer available.
“It’s not something that we particularly wanted to get into,” he said.
St. Patrick’s Day entertainment from morning to night
St. Patrick’s Day lineup features annual favorites who have performed at Dublin Bay for years.
Kabrick said he especially enjoys the pipes and drums and how they fill the pub with music.
“I just love the vibe they give off when they’re playing and everybody’s just like goo-goo-ga-ga over it,” he said.
O’Brien said the performers, such as the perennial visit from the Irish dance troupe from Robert Thomas Dancenter, help create the atmosphere that keeps people returning year after year.
“Everybody comes in just knowing it’s St. Paddy’s Day. You’re going to have fun,” he said.
O’Brien encourages guests to arrive early on Tuesday to secure a table.
“We want to feed as many people as we can,” he said.
Dublin Bay’s schedule of events for Tuesday, March 17
Ronna Faaborg covers business and the arts for the Ames Tribune. Reach her at rfaaborg@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Steeped in Irish tradition, this Ames pub is celebrating 25 years
Reporting by Ronna Faaborg, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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