I went here for breakfast today, so I thought it would be appropriate to post a photo of it I’ve had lying around for a little while. They just recently began to open on Saturdays, so I was able to make it in. It was delicious.

I had a conversation with our server about the bustling nature of downtown recently because of the Earth Day celebrations near the Capitol. I mentioned how when I moved here four years ago, downtown was not a very happening place to be. It was a virtual ghost town on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and night life isolated to a few small corners. She said she has lived here over thirty years and had never seen activity in the area like there is today. She mentioned the familiar story of closing down Fayetteville Street to auto traffic as the nail in the coffin to retail and social activity downtown. It comes as no surprise that a good part of the upswing has been shortly after the resurgence of Fayetteville Street after being reopened to auto traffic. It is very much likened to opening a main artery that was once blocked. Life returns to normal.

The first thing that comes to mind about this place is the pronunciation of the name. I’ve heard three variations since living in Raleigh, and I’m sure there may be more. The variations are:

• Teer-Nah-Noh (long “o”, silent “g”)
• Teer-Nah-Nahg (short “o”)
• Teer-Nah-Nogue (long “o”)

Even when a friend of mine tended bar here for a while and used the correct pronunciation in conversation, people still got it wrong. Even though there are ads on the radio, people still get it wrong. Now I must admit that I used the “Nahg” pronunciation for some time. Notice on the first picture how the o in “Nóg” has an accent over it. According to an Irish author enlightening readers, ó is pronounced ’o’ as in low.
So if you were using any of the other pronunciations, you now know the correct one.
And by the way, Tir Na Nóg is a great pub, definitely worth checking out any day of the week.

Caroline and Katie, two lovely bartenders

Dan and Christiana celebrating their fifth anniversary at The Riviera.

Riviera Mediterranean Restaurant & Lounge
135 South Wilmington Street
(919) 834-7480