Ri Ra pub brings Irish culture to Portsmouth

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, and Seacoast residents should be able to celebrate at a new Irish pub opening soon in the heart of downtown Portsmouth.

The former bank buildings of 22 and 26 Market St. are being renovated to become Ri Ra Irish Pub and Restaurant this month. The renovation will not only make new use of some of the original elements of the historic building, but will also bring in salvaged materials from old Irish pubs across the Atlantic Ocean. 

The owners, David Kelly and Ciaran Sheehan, are two friends who grew up together in Dublin, Ireland. After college, both happened to emigrate to the United States to pursue their careers, Sheehan in architecture and Kelly in marketing for Guinness. They opened their first Ri Ra pub in Charlotte, N.C., in March 1997. The business expanded and now has nine locations.

The pub owners have spent years seeking an appropriate Portsmouth location. Together with local Ri Ra general manager Scott Sherman, they plan to tailor the business to the community, Kelly said in an e-mail from Ireland.   

All Ri Ra pubs are designed to deliver the quintessential Irish pub experience to this side of the Atlantic. To accomplish this, craftsmen restore pieces from authentic and often famous old pubs in Ireland. The one in Portsmouth is being built from pub relics such as a restored bar from the Pulpit Pub in Waterford, itself constructed from salvaged materials dating to the Georgian period. Also from Ireland is antique paneling from The Bridge House in Cahir.

The owners call the former bank building a “perfect location” for the pub. According to Kelly, who has studied up on the building’s history, the two separate structures started as one—the New Hampshire Bank—in 1803. The bank actually occupied the site beginning in 1782, but the current building was constructed in 1803. In 1869, the building was divided, with the Portsmouth Savings Bank taking the north half and the First National Bank occupying the south half.

In 1903, a saloon was incorporated into the north section of the building. (Ri Ra plans to put its main bar on the north wall where the old saloon was located.) When an expanded Portsmouth Bank opened in 1904 with a saloon, it included a newly constructed huge glass dome depicting the Great Seal of New Hampshire. The stained glass will remain the focal point of the building, and some of the bank vaults will also remain on site.

The renovation represents the first time since 1869 that the building has operated as a single integrated space. The space was admitted to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Kelly said the new pub will mix traditional and modern elements. Ri Ra’s menu includes Irish classics such as potato cakes, Shepherd’s Pie and fish and chips, but also pub fare like wings and Irish bistro items. There will also be options for kids. 

Chef Bob Haggerty will focus on local seasonal produce, seafood and meats to bring changing tastes to the bistro menu. These dishes include Bang Island Mussels steamed in a citrus-curry broth; regional oysters baked with a goat cheese sabayon; and a salmon fillet stuffed with crab, shrimp, brie and dill, and covered in lobster sherry sauce.

To create the whole experience, the owners also hire Irish staff and provide authentic Irish entertainment. Ri Ra plans to host quiz contests, live Irish music and jazz brunches, as well as special events like oyster festivals and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Ri Ra live music nights are dedicated to music from contemporary local and national acts.

“We’ve always felt (Portsmouth) would be a good fit for Ri Ra,”he said. “Personally I love the town itself; I love the Atlantic, and to me, Portsmouth is one of the nicest places I’ve ever been.”

Kelly said the pub will incorporate local food, local music and local people. “Our goal is to create a limited number of great pubs in America and what makes a great Irish pub is its sense of community,” he said.

He added that although Ri Ra is technically a chain, each location has its own unique characteristics. “We do not have a standard design, layout or location strategy,” he said, adding that the interiors, the menus and the personality of each pub is different. “The only common ground between the pubs is the name over the door and hopefully that sense of community that is so vital to us.”

The owners are “working around the clock to be open for St. Patrick’s Day (March 17),” but Kelly said they’ll need luck to have it done in such a tight timetable.

There are also Ri Ra Irish Pubs in Burlington, Vt.; Providence, R.I.; Portland, Maine; and five other locations outside New England. Visit www.rira.com.