The Dubliner pub in Boston was the hottest Irish bar in the city on St Patrick’s Day when superstar Ed Sheeran popped in for a surprise set!
The Dubliner is owned by Oran McGonagle from Moville, who has lived in New England since 2009. At the helm of the kitchen is Donegal Town Chef Patron Aidan McGee.
The popular pub was packed to capacity on Monday when Ed Sheeran entered the building for an intimate gig.
The Grammy winner joined Antrim folk band Beoga and Dubliner Aaron Rowe on the stage as they performed a melody of his hits, including Galway Girl, Shape of You, and Nancy Mulligan.
Sheeran was in such good spirits that he finished the gig by announcing a free drink for everyone in the bar!
The gig sent local fans into a frenzy and they rushed to the area as soon as word got out.
“Boston for Paddy’s day with @beogamusic, what a gaff,” Sheeran wrote on social media. Watch here:
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Oran McGonagle tells Donegal Daily that the idea for the gig all started when Sheeran’s staff visited The Dubliner last year. They were treated to such stellar hospitality that they wanted to pay it back with a pop-up.
Sworn to secrecy, a select team at the bar had a week to organise the sound and security for Sheeran’s Paddy’s Day visit.
“We kept it a secret, with only two or three people knowing,” McGonagle said.
When Ed Sheeran announced his location on a community app on the day, McGonagle said “that’s when things got crazy.”
“We opened the windows and let him play out into the street, where around 500 people had gathered.
“After the set, he hung around for ten minutes, and we got to say hello. I had a friend make him a pair of custom Air Jordans, which we gave him. He then took an epic selfie with me.”
McGonagle is the director of the East Coast Tavern Group, which comprises several bars and restaurants across the Boston area. Earlier this year he opened McGonagle’s Pub in Dorchester as a sister pub to the successful Dubliner in Downtown Boston.
The Dubliner team weren’t the only Donegal folk to celebrate St Patrick’s Day with Sheeran!
Greencastle businesswoman Laura Bonner, the founder of the Muff Liquor Company, was also there for the show.
Sheeran is one of the celebrity investors to back Bonner’s spirits company, which held an epic St Patrick’s celebration in New York this week.
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