Community celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with Irish Times Reunion
Hundreds turned out to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with an Irish Times Reunion at Mind Yer P’s and Q’s in Farragut.
The event, which took place Thursday, March 17, at the Q’s craft beer and wine lounge, 12744 Kingston Pike in Renaissance | farragut, offered Irish live music and food, a performance by The Irish Dancers of Tennessee and a tug-of-war competition between Knoxville Fire Department and Knox County Sheriff’s Office personnel. The fire department won the contest.
While Mind Yer P’s and Q’s served up corned beef and cabbage, Irish nachos, cottage pie, bangers and mash and beer, attendees listened to Irish bands and watched Irish dancers perform.
“We were long-time patrons of the Irish Times,” Erich Gunther, attendee said. “We were sorry to see it go. This [event] is a great day for an excuse to have beer on a workday.”
“I love it,” Michaelann Keefe, Tellico Village resident, said. “I could sit here all day.”
“It’s going great,” Marci Stiles, co-owner of Mind Yer P’s and Q’s, said. “We’re so excited to have everyone here.”
After Irish Times Pub and Restaurant in Knoxville, which operated for eight years, closed March 21, 2015, Graeme Keys, Farragut resident and an owner of Mind Yer P’s and Q’s, said Irish Times patrons have been looking for a place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
“They’ve done this [St. Patrick’s Day celebration every year at Irish Times,” Keys said.
The opening of Mind Yer P’s and Q’s provided a new venue for the celebration.
“It’s a great way to have a different local event,” he said. “This is the way we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, with friends.
“We found the same values were important to Mind Yer P’s and Q’s — good friends, good beer and good times — so we ended up serving the same people here.
“What a better way to observe the end of Irish Times than with a reunion,” Keys said.
“We would always come to Irish Times, and when we found out their band [Shamrock Road] would be here, we came. We love it,” Candace Keck, reunion attendee, said.
David McGill of Chattanooga said he came to visit his son, Brad McGill, who lives in Farragut, and attended the event with Brad and other family members.
“He’s birthday is today,” David McGill said about his son. “He’s my leprechaun.”
“I liked the Irish Times. I was sorry to see it go,” Mark O’Callaghan, a Karns resident formerly of Georgia, said. “This [reunion] is a good-bye to the Irish Times.”
“It’s great,” Bob Davis, a Fountain City resident, said about the March 17 event. “Most of my heritage is actually Scottish, but my forbearers came from Antrim County in Northern Ireland.”
“I think it’s nice,” Judy Pritchard, Farragut resident, said about the Irish Times Reunion. “I’m glad they have something since Irish Times has closed.”
