My spouse and I ate lunch at Ri Ra Irish Pub in late
December 2003. The Victorian bar in the middle of the Charlotte pub was built
in the early 1800s for the officer's mess in the Phoenix Park Barracks in
Dublin. The bar was removed in 1920 and it lay in storage in a Dublin garage
for over 70 years. Ciaran Sheehan bought it in 1996 with a view to making it
the centerpiece of his first Ri Ra Irish Pub, which opened in Charlotte on
Ciaran's birthday, March 14th 1997. Ciaran went to great lengths to source,
meticulously restore and relocate the pub from Ireland to its new home in
Charlotte. Toward the front of Ri Ra, you will find the perfect example of a
cozy shop bar which originated from somewhere within Northern Ireland, c 1740.
Sections of this back bar include a restored Guinness mirror and a collection
of Dublin Corporation Ledgers written from 1800-1840. These ledgers are
available to all pub visitors to peruse over a quiet pint. The etched glass
panels set into the Victorian back-bar are originals dating to the early 1800s.
The exact origin of the statue of St. Patrick standing behind the bar is unknown
but it is well over 100 years old. It was not uncommon for a rural town or
village to have a statue or a monument at the entrance to give a blessing to
all passers by. In addition to the original bar the pub is full of antiquities
of interest. Ri Ra is on two levels with an upper level terrace overlooking Hearst
Plaza in the middle of downtown Charlotte. The site where Ri Ra now stands was
a department store that lay vacant for a number of years. The current structure
dates from about 1910. However, during construction, Ciaran unearthed stable
equipment and horseshoes suggesting that at some point in history the site was
used as a stable.
