Mahony’s keeps St. Patrick’s spirit

Despite the fact that no O’Boudreauxs or Hebertigans are living in Terrebonne, some places in the parish will still be trying to maintain the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day this Tuesday in the heart of bayou Cajun country.

Mahony’s Irish Pub opened in downtown Houma nearly two years ago as Houma’s only Irish-themed bar.

The place was established not so much to keep the spirit of the green alive, but for a simpler reason: the Irish have the best beer, and other strong drinks.

Born on Bayou Black and the grandson of legendary swamp tour guide Annie Miller, Mahony’s co-owner Mark Bonvillain is as Cajun as they come. But somewhere along the line he developed a taste for beverages brewed and distilled on the Emerald Isle.

“Houma didn’t have a bar with a great beer selection,” Bonvillain said. “Everywhere I’ve gone, Irish bars had the best beer and Scotches. Irish bars were the kind of places I frequented, so we decided to go with that.”

And, Irish bars usually draw a better crowd than your typical watering hole, he said.

Bonvillain and co-owner Gary Brown bought the old Smokey Row building at Main and Church streets that contains Mahony’s two-and-a-half years ago.

The two were inspired by the Irish bars in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and the McGuire’s Irish Pubs in Florida.

Mahony’s has a rustic look with beer taps made of brass. The actual bar in the pub is made of oak.

“We wanted it to look used to give it an old-world atmosphere,” Bonvillain said.

The targeted clientele is younger, mostly business-class in their 30s or 40s, and the bar has four large flat-screen televisions, arcade golf and video poker. And there’s a selection of Irish beers.

Because of the Tri-parishes’ dearth of Irish, Scottish oilfield workers tend to be the closest thing to an Irish clientele that Mahony’s gets, Bonvillain said.

“(The Scottish) love our beer,” he said. “They can’t get it elsewhere unless they go to Baton Rouge or New Orleans.”

But the appeal of Mahony’s wide selection of brews cuts across nationality. “It’s turned people on to different beer who’ve not had the opportunity to try it before,” he said.

St. Patrick’s Day this year promises to draw a large crowd. Mahony’s has 500 pounds of crawfish free for customers, catered by Cashio’s.

Last year for St. Patrick’s Day, Mahony’s attracted around 400 people, even though the holiday fell on a Monday, Bonvillain said.

“Irish bars have the best atmosphere,” he said. “No one else does that around here.”

Ashley Lottinger (left) serves a brew for Mahony’s Irish Pub co-owner Mark Bonvillian (red) and Riley Hughes, a tourist from Florida. Mahony’s is Houma’s only Irish-themed bar. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF