It looks like the future of a popular Irish pub may be in question.
According to an article in The Newport Daily News, Finbarr Murray, who is behind both the Fastnet Pub in Newport, RI, and Flann O'Brien's in Boston's Brigham Circle/Mission Hill, is planning to purchase The Port Seafood Grill and Bar in Newport and eventually turn it into an Irish pub, possibly by May of 2021. The post mentions that the purchase would be part of a 1031 exchange in which he sells Flann O'Brien's and reinvests the proceeds of that sale into what would appear to be the investment in The Port for tax purposes--and it looks like Murray is selling the bar to Cornerstone Real Estate apartment developer and manager Adam Sarbaugh, based on information from the article. Murray isn't sure what will happen to Flann's, saying that while he feels badly for the workers at the Tremont Street watering hole, he quotes his former boss Mark Kelly in saying that "It's only four walls, that's all it is....Don't get attached to your bar, it's four walls."
Flann O'Brien's has been a regular haunt for students at Northeastern University over the years, along with workers in the nearby Longwood medical area and Irish immigrants, with its menu including such items as curry fries, mussels, Irish bangers, steak tips, fish and chips, and an Irish BLT.
The address for Flann O'Brien's is 1619 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, 02120. Its website can be found at http://flanns.com/
[January 22, 2021 update: There appears to be a ray of hope for Flann O'Brien's to return, as a licensing board hearing page within the City of Boston website indicates that a transfer of license ownership to do business as Flann O'Brien's is slated to be looked at on Wednesday, January 27.]
[January 27, 2021 update: A message from Adam of Universal Hub confirms that Flann O'Brien's is looking to reopen under new ownership, with the plan being to add onto the building while keeping the pub in place.]
by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]
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