The Guinness has the green light.
Durty Neli’s, a traditional Irish pub promising true Emerald Isle aura in the heart of Vilano Beach, will hold its soft opening this Friday from noon until midnight.
Brian Neligan, the pub’s owner, told The Citizen this week that he hopes the outpost will serve as a proper tribute to his Celtic origins while providing an unpretentious haven for parched locals.
As a boy, Neligan’s New York-based family traveled to Ireland in the 1970s, visiting Durty Nelly’s—a centuries-old pub near Bunratty Castle in County Clare—which inspired the name of this new St. Johns venture.
Mary Neligan, Brian’s daughter, will be working as the barmaid at the tavern and is expected to take on a larger role in the future.
“We want to keep that Irish pub culture alive right here,” Brian Neligan said. “There’s really nothing like it around.”
Neligan, who grew up in Brooklyn, said the space will also serve as a lively memorial to his grandfather, a full-blooded Irishman who nearly joined the clergy before hopping on a boat to Ellis Island in 1926 to begin a new life.
A stone’s throw from the Vilano Beach pier, Durty Neli’s will eventually feature an on-site food truck.
The menu will focus on the fresh and thesimple, with pretzels and rotisserie items but no fried foods.
While tourists will be more than welcome, Neligan said his bar will focus primarily on locals, catering especially to those in the Vilano Beach and St. Augustine area.
“We want people to feel comfortable here,” he said. “We want this to be a second home, a place where they can come and have a true pint and some conversation. We can’t wait to see everyone.”
