Jacksonville Beach’s iconic Lynch’s Irish Pub is anticipating a busy St. Patrick’s Day, exactly one year after it closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Owner Keith Doherty said he expects the day to be “sensational.”
“You know, we had to close last year on Saint Patrick’s Day,” said Doherty. “So this is refreshing. Yeah, it’s good to be getting back to normal.”
Doherty says business was slow for much of 2020, but it began to pick back up in November. Things still aren’t totally back to normal, he said, but it’s getting there.
“Should be a good day. We’ve all been cooped up for a year, so get out, have a good time, be sage, and just enjoy the Irish-American holiday.”
Doors opened at 10 a.m. and live music begins at noon. Doherty said capacity is limited to 50% indoors, and guests will be encouraged to stay outside on the patio. The food menu is limited, but of course, there will be plenty of green beer.
As more Americans are vaccinated, the return of St. Patrick’s Day at Lynch’s is just one example of the growing evidence that people are beginning to get back to their normal routines.
Friday marked the busiest day for the nation's airports since the middle of March 2020, when COVID-19 caused air travel to plummet.
About 1.36 million passengers passed through security checkpoints Friday, according to figures from the Transportation Security Administration. That is the highest volume since March 15, 2020, when checkpoints reported more than 1.5 million passengers.
The Jacksonville Jaguars also announced Tuesday that they are selling tickets under the assumption that they will be at 100% capacity for the 2021 season.
And in South Florida, projected hotel occupancy for the month of March, during spring break, is at 72% capacity and home shares are up by 27% from their 2019 pre-pandemic numbers, according to the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Contact Sydney Boles at sboles@wjct.org, or on Twitter at@sydneyboles.
