328 Barker Rd, Subiaco
Ph: (08) 9381 8400
www.paddymaguires.com
Love of the Irish
Nestled in the beautiful suburb of Subiaco sits one of the most impressively authentic Irish Pubs you will find outside of Ireland itself. As soon as you walk through the doors of Paddy Maguire’s it feels like you’ve just been teleported to a bar in Dublin. The pub is covered in Irish memorabilia: On the bar small shields displaying the Irish counties surround the words Céad Mile Fáilte (meaning a hundred thousand welcomes). Adorning the walls are pictures of Irishmen in the Easter uprising and the Irish Civil War as well as drawings depicting the Great Famine of the mid 1800’s and ancient Irish landmarks.
Built in a huge semi-circle, the bar caters to both sides of the pub, while booths and cocktail tables are set up for customers to sit and enjoy pub grub from Paddy’s extensive menu.
Paddy’s offers 20 tapped beers, both local and imported, as well as 11 bottled beers and of course Guinness and Kilkenny.
As anyone who has been to Ireland will know going out to eat there means a night of singing, dancing and live entertainment and we definitely were not let down at Paddy’s.
We sat right at the front of the pub near the stage, before ordering some entrees and a Kilkenny ale to start the evening. As the garlic bread and anti-pasto plate arrived, the regular Thursday night band was set up.
The band, known as The Limerick Lads, claims to be “the only genuinely authentic Irish band in Perth” and say playing at Paddy Maguires is like going home. Ian, Rob and Charlie who all hail from Ireland started playing together at the beginning of the year.
Using the violin, mandolin, guitar and a banjo, the trio play fantastic renditions of old Irish songs. “Being a successful band is the long-term plan,” explains Ian, “although at the moment we’re just having fun. We don’t rehearse, we just do the gig; it keeps it fresh, spontaneous and energetic.”
Contributing massively to the authenticity of Paddy Maguires, the live Irish music is well worth experiencing. Currently Paddy’s have Irish music every Wednesday and Thursday night, while on Friday nights patrons can also enjoy live music with bands like 43Cambridge playing a selection of popular tracks from the 60’s onwards.
While we sat back enjoying the band and soaking up the atmosphere, our main courses arrived. I had the ‘Lamb Backstrap’ with wine and red currant gravy, baby potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The lamb was cooked just the way I like it while the gravy and mint sauce complimented one other nicely. My colleague had the Crab Linguini cooked in a rich garlic and herb sauce. The pasta went well with a glass of 2009 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, NZ), the crispness of the dry white bringing out a myriad of flavours in the pasta. The portions were massive and well priced.
All in all Paddy Maguires is as Irish as it gets. The traditional décor, the WA hurling league advertising and copies of the Irish Echo (Australia’s Irish Newspaper) all add to the effect and the illusion only broke when we stepped back outside into the warm, Perth night.
By Nic Ingram
