What’s going into former Lynagh’s Irish Pub spot near UK campus?
A legendary Lexington bar that’s been closed for more than two years is coming back to life.
Lynagh’s, a longtime University of Kentucky campus-area bar in University Plaza on Woodland Avenue, is finally getting a new tenant and a new concept.
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The new bar is expected to open in early 2025, and it will not be Irish-themed.
The owners of Austin City Saloon, Austin Brashear and Josh Brock, hope to open their new venture at 384 Woodland Ave. in January.
What will the new bar be called?
They are keeping the name under wraps for now, Brashear said.
“The theme of the bar will be a celebration of the things we love about Kentucky ... including the University, music, artists, spirits and of course our customers,” he said via text. “The bar will not be a clone of Austin City given the proximity to the original location, but there will be some similarities as Austin City is also something we love about Kentucky.”
What the new bar will have
He said the space will include a stage for entertainment, room to dance, TVs for watching sports, table seating and “fun VIP areas.”
“As for food, we have experience with food at Austin City Saloon of Corbin, Ky., but we have not decided whether we are going to include food or not,” Brashear said. “There are some really interesting options we are looking at though.”
Historic Lynagh’s location
He said they do not have anything specific planned to acknowledge the bar’s 43-year history.
“I think breathing some life into the space might be the best we can do to pay tribute to how Lynagh’s served the community in that space for so long,” he said. “Sometimes you just have to tip your hat and move forward.”
Lynagh’s Irish Pub quietly closed in the summer of 2022 and the bar, known for its massive O’Round burgers, sandwiches and cold beer, was listed for sale around the same time that the University Plaza shopping center changed hands in August 2022.
Lynagh’s began life in 1979 across the street on the other corner of Euclid Avenue but has been in its present location since the late 1980s.
At one point, Lynagh’s also had a separate Lynagh’s Music Club venue in the shopping center. That spot recently reopened after a major renovation that added an upstairs patio bar as 2-Fisted Willie’s.
Willie’s is country-themed, and the owners of that bar, Bill and Deirdre Ransdell, also used to own both Lynagh’s and Austin City Saloon.
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