They taught me how to drink. I still remember the first time I went to the Irish Pub on Washington Street: My first order defaulted to a Harp but from there I ordered Guinness and I can honestly say I’ve never looked back. Guinness on tap is a beautiful thing.

I’m a part of the place. One of the coolest things about the Pub is how they embrace their customers. Finish the beer list and you’ll get your name over the bar, finish the whiskey list and your picture goes up on the wall. That’s a pretty big incentive if you ask me. If you really get in tight, they might even let you create a new drink for the menu— take it from me, the “Blanche Devereaux” is sure to please!

Pub Quiz changed my life. Pub Quiz has taught me quite a bit. I can never un-know Bob Dylan’s birth name or the origin of the phrase “Mind your Ps and Qs”, and I love the Pub for that. But Pub Quiz is more than just a night of drunken trivia; it helped me overcome my fear of public speaking. I used to be the kid who knew the answers but didn’t speak up in class. Each of my college presentations was punctuated with creeping neck hives. That all changed the second I stepped on the Pub’s stage as Quiz Master. There’s something truly empowering about being the one with the answers (and it doesn’t hurt that you get to drink on the job).

NORM! As a child of the 80s, I idolized the show Cheers and always hoped I’d find a place where everybody knew my name. Well, I got my wish when I became a Pub regular. There is no sweeter sound that hearing Patrick O’Flaherty call my name into the microphone as I come through the door. If you think that’s good, wait until he works your name into the lyrics of “The Wild Rover”—it’s like hearing angels sing. I am proud to say I’m one of Lewisburg’s Norm Petersons.

Great friendships forged by fire (and whiskey). The Irish Pub is where I discovered that sometimes it’s ok to talk to strangers. It’s where I can throw a party just for the heck of it, I can show up dressed like a Bearded Lady, a Fraggle, a Chia Pet or a Zombie and there will always be someone there to give me a high five. It’s where my closest friends can trick me into showing up to a super secret 30th birthday party and make me cry. It’s the place where I’ve watched my favorite couples meet and fall in love and it’s even been the location of a marriage ceremony or two. The Irish Pub on Washington Street is where I’ve met some of the best friends I’ll ever have and I’m grateful to have Andrea, Patrick and the rest of the staff on that list.

– Angie Blair, LBSPY #46. (Nov 18-Dec 2, 2013).