Hillsborough Street will get a new pub this weekend that sports something different than N.C. State red—Irish Green.

Owned by two Irishmen and one American, McDaid’s will be the only Irish pub on Hillsborough Street. The pub will be designed and furnished entirely by Irish craftspeople and will take the space that Porter’s Tavern occupied before its surprising closing last week. 

John Heverin, one of the three owners of McDaid’s, said the pub will be a great place for anyone to hangout. 

“It’s just open to everyone—from weddings, to funerals, to watching the game [or] to just chilling out,” Heverin said.

He said McDaid’s will be a mix of high-end restaurant quality and a casual atmosphere, with one very important addition.

“Obviously, we’re going to have the best pint of Guinness in all of North Carolina, and also a bunch of other drafts,” Heverin said. 

According to Heverin, one problem with most American-Irish pubs is that they do not offer high-quality food. 

“[Good food is] a reflection of Ireland today. I mean a lot of people think of Ireland and the Irish Pubs, certainly over here in the U.S., and they don’t necessarily think of restaurant,” Heverin said.

They will offer traditional Irish foods, some American classics and will even retain some of the Porter’s menu—with a little “Irish flare.”

“There’s going to be specials—there’s going to be special cocktails [and] special wines of the week and obviously, the big thing is the beer,” Heverin said. “We’re all about just a great environment where people are happy.”

Jeff Murison is the executive director of the Hillsborough Street Community Service Corporation, a group that set out to increase the economic sustainably of Hillsborough Street.

“In the three-and-a-half years we’ve been operating we’ve seen a lot of change and development,” Murison said. “Everything, from the completion of the first stage of the street work to more events like Packapalooza to a substantial number of new businesses and buildings being added to the street.”

Murison said that during that time traffic has gone up, and food and drink sales have risen by roughly 40 percent. He envisions Hillsborough Street having a very different look in 10 years. 

Part of this improvement included bringing diversity and more casual dining to the street.

“What we need are more places like Mitch’s, Chile Bomba’s, East Village and [Player’s Retreat],” Murison said. “That’s casual dining that can be a great place to go for lunch, and a fun place to take your parents for dinner, and some place that you can go to at night with your friends. I think the street will be a major destination in Raleigh for people visiting the city, for work and for pleasure, and it will be a great meeting place for people connected with N.C. State, whether it’s students, families [or] alumni.” 

Murison said that there were already enough pizza places, coffee shops and tattoo places on Hillsborough Street, but McDaid’s is the kind of an establishment that can really help Hillsborough’s identity.

“I’ve talked with the new owners [of McDaid’s] a number of times, and I’m really excited about the addition of an Irish restaurant on the street,” Murison said. “I think it’s been a component that has been missing. There are probably very few education gateways in the country that don’t have a good, classic Irish restaurant and bar, and so it’s great to see them coming to the street.”

Gökhan İnan, a recent graduate in structural engineering at N.C. State, said that he really liked the feel of Irish bars.

“I’ll definitely check it out,” İnan said. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to go this weekend, but I’ll definitely go at some point—maybe next week.”

İnan said he really likes Irish pubs because of their interior design—the wood, the lighting, and the furniture. He said he doesn’t know how much money the owners are going to have to remodel the restaurant, but he hopes that it doesn’t look like the other bars on Hillsborough.

At least some of his wishes may come true.

“All of the furniture and the glass and all of the woodwork and stuff is all done by Irish craftsmen—installed by Irish craftsmen,” Heverin said.

According to The News & Observer, Porter’s Tavern’s closed because the lease was up and its owners decided to close the doors for good. 

It did not take long to fill the space, and Murison said that the quick turnaround was a good sign of a healthy business community on Hillsborough Street.

“Restaurants are difficult businesses that operate on small margins, and it’s actually a really positive statement about the street that Porter’s was able to be sold to a new owner, and that they’re going to be opening in two or three weeks [after Porter’s closed], ” Murison said.

Despite his excitement, Murison said Porter’s will still be missed.

“Porter’s was a great restaurant—the owners have been a vital contributor to the business community and overall neighborhood and we’re sorry to see them go,” Murison said.