New Tampa & Wesley Chapel ‘Go Green’ For St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations

By Gary Nager

OK, so there was no way for yours truly to get to every St. Patrick’s Day celebration in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel (for example, I heard there also were significant crowds all day at all of the local Beef O’Brady’s and at PJ Dolan’s Irish Pub & Grille {on E. Bearss Ave.}) but I did the best I could and made it to three local events to recap for you.

I first went to what is billed year after year in these pages as “New Tampa’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day celebration” at Mulligan’s Irish Pub in the Pebble Creek Golf Club (10550 Regents Park Dr., MulligansTampa.com; 973-3870). And, with this year’s near-perfect weather (the temperature never seemed to reach 80 degrees and there was a nice breeze blowing all day), the party at Mulligan’s was packed all day and all night — and why not?

The recently revamped outdoor patio and inside ballroom areas, as well as inside Mulligan’s itself, were all filled with hungry and thirsty people in green who enjoyed the multiple bars and a sumptuous buffet featuring (of course) corned beef and cabbage and all of the trimmings. Plus, everyone on hand raved about the live entertainment throughout the one day each year when everybody celebrates the Emerald Isle, so kudos to everyone at Mulligan’s for another job well done.

My next stop was at Peabody’s Billiards & Games (15333 Amberly Dr., in the Shoppes at Amberly plaza in Tampa Palms, PeabodysBilliards.com; 972-1725) Although the green beer and corned beef and cabbage were available all day, Peabody’s, which is open until 3 a.m. every night, didn’t really get rocking until much later in the evening. Even so, the Peabody’s girls all decked out in green kept everyone’s Irish eyes smiling throughout the St. Patty’s event.

And finally, I made a visit to City Grill (5429  Wesley Chapel Village Market {at the intersection of Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and S.R. 54}, CityGrill.us; 973-9988), which did feature some Irish cuisine specials but departed from the usual St. Pat’s celebration by having its regular Tuesday night trivia contest. I didn’t get to stay to see who ended up winning, but my Wesley Chapel Rotary Club team, which dropped to fourth place by the end of the evening, was in first place when I left after the halftime question, which was to name four of the six most popular Irish authors and playwrights in U.S. schools. I was proud to have come up with James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw and Jonathan Swift (Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats and Frank McCourt were the others). Erin Go Bragh!