‘Barrel after barrel after barrel…’ Police and bar operators say St. Patrick’s Day celebrations free of major problems

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Maybe it was the wet weather, maybe it was just serious partiers coming out for a good time with no associated interruptions.

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Whatever the reason, what many considered the first “post-pandemic” celebration in the nation’s capital was held with major hiccups on Friday.

However, the Ottawa Police Service and the City of Ottawa’s charter department planned another “greater presence” night on Saturday, just in case.

“Thank you for respecting your neighbors during your (St. Patrick’s Day) celebrations,” the Ottawa charter tweeted Saturday morning.

“We will continue to have a larger presence in the Sandy Hill/Carleton areas throughout the weekend.”

New Rideau-Vanier district county. Stéphanie Plante said her first St. Patrick’s Day in municipal office was a quiet event.

“I patrolled the area in both ByWard and Sandy Hill on foot… I did not receive any notifications about excessive parties or Bylaw having to visit someone,” Plante wrote in an email.

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“From my observations at ByWard, Heart and Crown was very busy and people were generally in good spirits. It was nice to see the people out there.”

Down at “St. Patty’s Central”, the Heart and Crown pub in ByWard Market, staff reported a busy but happy Friday.

“Business as usual,” said a day manager identified as Jacob, which, on St. Patrick’s Day, meant wall-to-wall customers from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

“Barrel after barrel after barrel…”, he joked. “It was just a happy crowd.”

Any horseplay was limited to Irish dancing and bellowing along with the band.

A few blocks away, another pleasant surprise was what one tweet described as the “resurrection” of Brigid’s Well pub and event space in the basement of the deconsecrated St. Brigid’s Church on Cumberland Street near St. Patrick Street.

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The Lowertown church with some of the city’s deepest Irish cultural connections was closed for most of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, he was at the center of controversy when the so-called United People of Canada group signed an agreement to purchase the property, only to be evicted by a court for non-payment of rent before the purchase could go through.

That was all ancient history on Friday, when hundreds (“at least”) of friends new and old turned up for meals, liquid refreshments, and hours of traditional Irish and East Coast music from opening to closing.

“It was a big, big crowd. It was very exciting to see familiar faces return,” said spokesperson (and bartender) Aoife McDonald.

“Of course, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, so anything could happen, but it was all good.”

Once the St. Patrick’s celebrations are over, McDonald said, the pub will revamp music and cultural programs for the Well, as well as the Irish Canadian National Cultural Center.

Visit the Irish Canadian National Cultural Center website (https://saintbrigidscentre.com/brigids-well/) for more details.