Savannah’s Irish Heartbeat
A Low Country Drifter’s Take on Irish Pubs, Port-City History & Wexford Ties
If you’ve spent any time on the water around Savannah, you know this city carries its history the way it carries the tide. Steady. Layered. Always moving.
Few stories run deeper here than our Irish roots.
Savannah doesn’t just celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. We lean into it. Savannah wears green better than just about any city in America. Every March, Forsyth Park turns emerald, bagpipes echo off brick facades, and St. Patrick’s Day swells into one of the largest celebrations in the country. Hosting a celebration and parade since 1824, it’s not a one-day affair. It’s a season. A mindset. A citywide excuse to gather, toast, and celebrate the stories that shaped this place. It’s joyful, a little chaotic, and unmistakably Savannah.
But for a city with such a strong Irish heritage, there are only a handful of places serving truly Irish food year-round.
Irish Pubs in a Port City
Savannah was built by immigrants, dockworkers, tradespeople, and craftsmen. Many of them Irish. In a working port city like this, pubs have always made sense. They’re places to settle in after a long day, share stories, and feel at home, even if you’ve just arrived.
A few Savannah spots really honor that tradition.
Wexford Irish Pub (217 W Congress Street), located in City Market, is Savannah’s newest and most distinctive Irish pub. Named for County Wexford, Ireland, it reflects a deep historical connection. During the mid-1800s, more than half of Georgia’s Irish emigrants passed through Wexford before making their way to Savannah during the potato famine.
Wexford fully embraces Irish comfort food and culture, and the space itself tells that story. Stained glass, mosaic floors, and gilded mirrors, wooden molding and bars… all imported from Ireland, give the pub a sense of permanence.
Featuring notable Irish immigrants, those details quietly honor the people who helped shape Savannah. The pub took four years to create, and it shows. Every element feels considered, intentional, and rooted in something real. A subtle reminder that the stories behind Savannah’s Irish roots are still worth pausing over.
Its menu features shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, and proper pints; it feels less like a theme and more like a return to roots. It’s a meaningful addition to Savannah’s pub scene and a welcome one, and it was named one of USA Today’s 2025 Restaurants of the Year. Be sure to make your way to the upstairs bar to take it all in.
Open daily: Sunday – Thursday 11 AM – 9 PM, Friday – Saturday 11 AM – 10 PM, with Happy Hour: Monday–Thursday, 3–5 PM
O’Connell’s Irish Pub (32 Drayton Street) remains a longtime favorite among locals and visitors alike. It’s more pub than kitchen, but that’s part of its charm. Easygoing, familiar, and always social, it fits perfectly into Savannah’s rhythm and offers live performances.
You’ll also find beloved English pubs like Six Pence Pub (245 Bull Street) and Churchill’s (13 West Bay Street), which round out the Old World pub experience downtown. While not Irish, they bring their own warmth and character and have become part of the city’s fabric in their own right.
Different traditions. Same welcoming spirit.
Why the Menu Doesn’t Always Match the Parade
For all the green we wear in March, Savannah’s Irish story has never been centered solely on food. Historically, it’s been about faith, family, labor, and community. Over generations, Irish traditions blended naturally into Low Country culture, and while the celebrations stayed front and center, many of the recipes faded into the background.
That’s why places like Wexford feel notable. They represent a growing interest in honoring Irish heritage beyond one week a year, bringing the cuisine back into the conversation alongside the music, history, and hospitality.
Savannah’s story has always evolved with the tide, and its Irish influence continues to do the same.
Savannah & Wexford: A Connection That Still Flows
The bond between Savannah and County Wexford isn’t just historical. It’s living.
Many of the Irish who shaped Savannah in the 1800s came from Wexford, leaving a lasting imprint on this port city. Today, that connection continues through Georgia Southern University, which operates a satellite campus in Wexford, Ireland. It’s a modern bridge across the Atlantic, linking coastal Georgia with the Emerald Isle through education and cultural exchange.
As locals and drifters, we love that Savannah’s Irish story isn’t frozen in time. It’s still moving, still connecting people, still crossing water.
A Drifter’s Take
At Low Country Drifters, we spend our days navigating tidal creeks, barrier islands, and quiet stretches of water most visitors never see. History feels different out there. Less polished. More personal.
Savannah’s Irish spirit feels the same way. It’s not measured by how many pubs line a street, but by how people gather, how stories are shared, and how quickly a place can make you feel like you belong.
It shows up in our celebrations, in our sense of community, and in the pubs where conversations stretch longer than planned. Whether you’re enjoying a proper pint downtown, tracing family roots back to Wexford, or watching the sun slip behind the marsh after a day on the river, that Irish heartbeat is still here. Steady as the tide.
If you’re visiting Savannah, we recommend doing it the drifter way. Start your day on the water with one of our coastal boat tours, explore the city at an unhurried pace, then settle into an Irish pub where time slows down and conversation takes the lead.
