Telegraph photo by ADAM URQUHART CUTLINE Matt Casey, Owner of Casey Magee's Irish Pub & Music Hall offers over 20 different Irish whiskeys and just opened up patio seating for the first time Tuesday. 

NASHUA – With a little luck of the Irish, Matt Casey was able to open his Irish pub amidst the ongoing pandemic.

COVID-19 has placed financial strain on people and businesses across the state, with some business owners even making the difficult decision to close up shop completely. Now, as more restaurants and bars are open for both outdoor and indoor dining, Casey is starting to open his pub to the public for the first time. Unlike many other establishments, his pub offered indoor seating before opening up the patio, which was offered for the first time Tuesday. 

Last week, his pub, Casey Magee’s Irish Pub & Music Hall held a soft opening weekend featuring indoor seating on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Casey said that if he had opened up shop before the pandemic hit, things would have been different. If that were the case, he said it would not be a favorable financial situation. 

“The timing actually worked out for me, oddly,” Casey said. 

While many downtown businesses have closed their doors, or reduced their operations to take out and delivery service, Casey was hard at work taking time during shutdown to prepare his pub, at 8 Temple St., for opening day.

Since purchasing the establishment from R’evolution Sports Bar & Restaurant in early January, Casey has been cleaning up the place, painting and preparing, with some slight delay. The painting project took a little longer than expected and then Casey ran into some equipment issues. Aside from some of the troubles that arise when opening a new business, he said the virus has not affected him too much.  

“It didn’t affect me too much because I just kept on going,” Casey said. “So, the project took me about twice as long to complete than anticipated.” 

Casey recognizes that some of the challenges other business owners faced when the pandemic hit did not affect him. On the financial side of things, the pandemic did not cause too much of a strain.

Casey said that he did not have to throw out any product because he had not ordered any at that point and that he had not yet hired any staff either, so that obstacle many businesses faced was not an issue for him. Aside from avoiding the tasks of having to throw out thousands of dollars worth of perishable inventory and lay off staff, he also cited that while being in the early stages of starting the business he also did not have to deal with things such as bills, existing debt and existing payroll. As far as opening his business during the pandemic, Casey said he just squeaked in. 

“The timing wasn’t bad for me,” Casey said. “Then with the 50 percent occupancy inside, that actually works for us because it allows us to go at a slower pace so we can get the food right, focus on service, focus on quality of product and really kind of take it slow in the beginning and then when everything creeps back to normal, we’ll be set to move forward with the entertainment which should start happening in July.” 

In any event, Casey said it’s been a smooth start and that the staff he has brought aboard is very good. After receiving over 150 applications in three months and interviewing over 60 people, Casey now employs ten people. 

The pub offers over 20 Irish whiskeys, 12 draft handles, 15 televisions and an American pub-grub style menu with some Irish flare. Hours of operation are 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Tuesday-Saturday. No reservations are required.

Adam Urquhart may be contacted at 594-1206, or at aurquhart@nashuatelegraph.com.