US-Ireland Alliance

At a US-Ireland Alliance golf tournament, we sat Paul Nolan, then of the Irish Pub Company, next to Phil Lengyel, then VP of Development at DisneyWorld in Florida.   A conversation began that evening that led to the establishment  of the Raglan Road Restaurant at Downtown Disney, Pleasure Island.

This multi-million dollar development benefits the US economy by employing 150 people and is one of the top 40 grossing restaurants in the US.  The project also benefits Ireland as millions of euros were spent there on the pub’s development.  The restaurant employs Irish graduates in management positions.  It also employs Irish musicians.  The company takes its top 20 employees to Ireland for a week each year to learn about Irish culture.  The pub is the third largest seller of Guinness in the US.