Finn McCool’s Irish Pub was born in 2002 when Belfast couple Stephen and Pauline Patterson took over a tired old spot on Banks Street and breathed new life into it. They named it after the great giant of Irish legend, and right from the start, it was more than a bar—it was a homeplace for conversation, laughter, and community in the heart of Mid-City New Orleans. This was never just about pouring pints. Finn McCool’s became a gathering point with quizzes, darts and pool leagues, Scrabble nights, and fundraisers that knitted the neighborhood closer together. When Katrina came and the city emptied, the pub went under too. But on St. Patrick’s Day 2006—six months after the storm—Stephen and Pauline reopened the doors, proving that resilience and community spirit were as much a part of the place as Guinness and whiskey. Over the years, the pub has been showered with praise, winning “Best Neighborhood Bar” and “Best Bartender” more than once. But the real measure of its worth is the steady stream of locals and visitors who return time and again for the warmth of the welcome, the flow of the pints, and the feeling that you’re part of something bigger than yourself when you step inside. And while the heart is pure Irish, there’s no denying the New Orleans soul that runs through the place. The walls are plastered with memorabilia, football matches beam from the screens, and from the Wolfhound kitchen window you can grab fish and chips or even an alligator sausage po’boy. It’s a mix you won’t find in Belfast or Dublin, but that’s the beauty of it—Finn McCool’s is an Irish bar in New Orleans, shaped by both worlds, and proud of it.