It happens to me at least once a week these days. I’m chatting with someone, and they ask me something like, “So, what do you know about Barry’s? When is it going to open again?” And more often than not they’d pass along some theory or rumor which answered their own question.
A few days ago, I determined to track down the REAL answer by going straight to the source. I called Danny and Jess and asked them to clear up the issue once and for all. Have they made any decisions on where the new Barry’s Old School Irish will be, and when it might open?
Their answer? In a word, no.
They DID tell me they “have some feelers out,” and a “lot of people looking” for the new space. But basically, Danny and Jess are not much closer to finding their pub’s forever home than they were when they closed Barry’s Old School Irish five months ago.
They get the same question all the time, of course. But they also often have people tell them, in no uncertain terms, “I know where you’re going.”
Danny laughed when he told me that, and said he responds, “OK, fill me in.”
Even though plans are still not set in stone, their hopes for the new pub haven’t changed much. They want a building they can own outright. They want it to be larger, yet still maintain the intimacy that Barry’s Old School Irish has become known for. And they definitely want to stay as close to 2 West Main St. as possible.
In the meantime, however, Danny and Jess continue to work hard promoting their new Barry’s Irish Cream Liqueur, traveling all over the state to hold tastings in liquor stores and pubs.
“We’re super thankful about how great the Irish Cream is going,” Danny said, attributing its success in large part to their loyal Barry’s Pub family, who have come out in droves to purchase it and ask for it to be stocked in their local stores. It’s folks like these, who remain loyal to the pub family, that continue to fill their hearts with gratitude every day.
“One of the things that’s been super nice is how we’ve been able to reflect on how amazing the last 12 years have been,” Danny said, “to go over the people and moments that have happened. … People built (the pub) with us. The least we can do is return the favor.”
“We’re excited for the future.”
Whether you’re a Barry’s regular or have only stopped in once or twice, you’ll like this next bit of news Danny and Jessica passed along: the 5th Annual Barry’s Irish Festival will (hopefully) be held at the Webster Firemen’s Field, just outside the Village of Webster. They’re still trying to figure out when exactly it will be, since several summer weekend dates are already unavailable, so stay tuned for more about that.
This is great news for all of the Webster locals who have come to love the festival — and Barry’s Old School Irish. It means that later this summer, we’ll be able to raise a pint with the Barrys again … albeit down the road a bit. In the meantime, Danny and Jess hope to hold some smaller events — kind of like mini-Barry’s family reunions — so that we can all get together again as we await for news on Barry’s Old School Irish 2.0.
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Also, HUGE congratulations to Danny and Jess Barry for being named this year’s Irish Business Leaders of the year by the Rochester St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. Watch for their whole family marching in the parade!
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(posted 2/10/2024)
webster on the web 
why don’t they move next door. That place has been closed forever. I know people who wanted to buy the furniture, but they don’t answer
I imagine they’ve thought of that. But perhaps it’s not big enough to include their processing plans and maybe they can’t buy the building?
I presume they checked out the former McDonald’s building on West Main.
One of the first places they looked, I believe
What’s going in the spot where they were? Any idea?
Not much is known, I wrote a blog about it several weeks ago. Check it out!