Mary O’Neills already a local favorite

Ciaran Farrelly, one of the owners of Mary O'Neill's, pours a pint of Guiness. The correct time to let a Guinness sit between pours is 119.5 seconds.

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Three of Mary O’Neills owners sit outside. (LtR) Ciaran Farrelly, Lee McShane, and Denis McDonagh.
Nicole Hatfield and Ciaran Farrelly, one of the owners, discuss the menu at the bar at Mary O’Neills. Nicole says, “Mary O’Neills is a great addition to Waxhaw and we love the fact they are open on Monday.”
Chloe Anthony is a hostess at Mary O’Neills.
Denis McDonagh, one of the owners of Mary O’Neill’s, pours one of the many Irish Whiskeys that they offer.
Ciaran Farrelly, one of the owners of Mary O’Neill’s, pours a pint of Guiness. The correct time to let a Guinness sit between pours is 119.5 seconds.
Hannah Adams, from Waxhaw, receives her Guinness and is a regular at Mary O’Neills. “This place is amazing.”
A view of the dining room at Mary O’Neills.

Officially opened on October 12, 2017, Mary O’Neill’s has proved to be very popular with local residents.  Lee McShane, one of the owners of Mary O’Neill’s, said, “We knew that we were going to have a huge welcome, but it’s a lot bigger than we ever it imagined.  We expected people to come but it’s been amazing.  And the good feedback has been wonderful.”  In fact, they have been so busy, they haven’t been able to plan a Grand Opening!  McShane explained that they haven’t even had time to sit down and think about it.

One of the things that people enjoy the most is that they are open all day on Monday.  Mary O’Neill’s joined a growing list of options open in Waxhaw on Monday including DreamChasers Brewery and Provisions Waxhaw.  And while Mary O’Neill’s is still serving their soft opening menu, they do have plans to expand it in the future.  In the meantime, the entire staff has been working hard to contribute to their success.  McShane described why the staff is a huge part of that success.  “The servers and bar tenders have been the same since the beginning, we haven’t have any turnover.  The hosts and hostesses have all been great.  We have hired a few more people and are still filling some positions in the back of the house.  They [the kitchen staff] are working hard to make sure everything is great. We wouldn’t have been the success that we are without them and the servers.  It’s tough and they have been doing a fantastic job.“



Mary O’Neill’s participated in Fright Night this year.  They gave out candy to the kids during the day and enjoyed seeing all of the adults in costume at night.  McShane explained that he was surprised with how serious Halloween was in Waxhaw.  “Halloween was crazy.  I’ve never experienced anything like that before.  We are used to kids trick or treating, but nothing like this.  It has a top quality, hometown feel.  Waxhaw closed the streets and all the kids and parents were getting into it.  It was serious!”

Mary O’Neill’s is looking forward to the upcoming holidays too.  They will be closed on Thanksgiving Day so that everyone can spend the time with their families.  They are planning on closing at 3 pm on Christmas Eve and will be closed all day on Christmas Day as well as the day after.  In Ireland, they celebrate St. Stephen’s Day on December 26th.  While Christmas Day is spent with family, St Stephen’s day is for friends to celebrate together.  They are planning on having a big party on New Year’s Eve starting with a toast at 7p.m., which is midnight in Ireland, with another toast at midnight local time.

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Tara Botero
A. Tara Botero was born and raised in the South but only recently moved to Waxhaw, NC in November 2014. She has a horse, Cooper, with whom she spends many hours on the trails. Tara has been in love with photography for over 20 years and joined Tri-W News as a photographer and reporter in August 2016.