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Located
in the heart of the infamous Hurstmere Road entertainment precinct,
Florrie McGreal's Irish Pub is the best place in Takapuna to have a
beer, meet some old friends or make some new ones. The atmosphere is
informal and the music is a mix of Irish mingled with 70's, 80's and
90's classics. The décor is
typical Irish with a generous outside alcove area with its own fireplace
and gas heaters for the cold winter nights.
Named
after the owner's grandmother, Florrie McGreal's Irish Pub was first
established in the Poenamo Hotel, Takapuna in 1993 but was disassembled
in 1996 when Kevin Schwass, moved his business to Hurstmere Road to open
the iconic R'toto Pub & Café now the site of the "Macs" Hurstmere Road Brew Bar, and the Rangitoto Brewing Co, now the site of the Blankenberge Belgian Beer café. The "new" Florries was opened in its current location in August 2009.
Florence "Florrie"
(nee Blakeney) was born in 1888, in Enniskillen, a small town in
Northern Irelands Co Fermanagh, close to the border. Florrie married
Simon Patrick McGreal, (whose parents came from Co Tipperary in Republic
of Ireland), in Melbourne, Australia on Christmas Eve, 1909 and later emigrated to the Taranaki province of New Zealand.
Florrie
from Northern Ireland was Protestant and a teetotaller, Simon from the
south was a Catholic and enjoyed more than his share of the demon drink. To say they had an interesting marriage would be an understatement…..
Florrie passed away in 1955 and Simon followed her in 1962.
The bar has eleven different beers on tap including Guinness, Murphy's Stout and Murphy's Red.
Florrie's
has a typical menu you would expect in an Irish pub, featuring dishes
such as an Irish open toastie; wedges served with a warm fondue of Swiss
cheese, hot mustard and Murphy's Stout; a choice of chicken, beef or
fish burgers; a Cork Man fry-up; Irish stew; Steak &
Murphy's Pot Pie, Chicken, bacon mushroom Pot Pie; fish 'n' chips;
bangers and mash to name but a few all served with fries or colcannon or
mushy peas.
It has a 50" plasma screen for the showing of sport and the Grain Room lounge featuring 18 gaming machines.
Florrie
McGreal's Irish Pub is managed by Colm McNeill-O'Keeffe, a Cork man and
the assistant manager is Vanessa Kneebone, who has no Irish heritage at
all, but looks good.
So
if it's traditional Irish beer or some of New Zealand best beers and
wine that you're after, or maybe it's to savour our typical Irish pub
fare or maybe just to enjoy some good music and craic, come and visit Florrie McGreal's, our own "Pot of Gold" in Takapuna, the best little Irish pub this side of the rainbow. |
Click here to register
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