An American Game

I saw on facebook earlier that this Sunday there is an event at Jimmy V’s (912 S High Street) to meet up with some of the old staff of Claddagh.

This event is to thank our friends formerly of Claddagh Irish Pub for their hard work and dedication. The management and staff of Claddagh made for a warm and welcoming place for everyone that walked through the door. Join us for this celebration to thank those who have served us throughout the years and wish them good luck in all their future endeavors!

Sounds like a good way to pay up on those offers of a round of beer or (and?) Irish whiskey.

Craig McConville stopped by the comments earlier to offer his perspective:

I thank all the wonderful people who have sat at the bar, donated scarfs and made me feel useful over the past few years. I know this will lead to a better soccer pub somewhere. Its the community of fans and friends that makes a pub, not the 4 walls. Cheers to everyone! I wouldn’t trade a second of it for anything and the support everyone has shown is overwhelming.

That is something I can get behind. Cheers Craig, I will buy you a beer (or Irish Whiskey) the next time we meet.

As promised, I did get a chance to ask a former Claddagh employee to talk about Saturday’s events. Many know Marcia from the pub, she knew all of the regulars.  She was always quick with a drink, an order, or a laugh. She was nice enough to respond to my questions and I was able to confirm much of what I wrote earlier. Craig and much of the staff felt compelled to quit after the most recent friction with Claddagh corporate.

In preparation for the event, the corporate offices brought in several general managers and pub management staff to help out. I didn’t happen to see any of them that morning and Marcia noted that they asked 30 minutes before kickoff if Craig wanted any help, but he declined. By that point the place was already filled and there wasn’t much that already wasn’t being done by the regular staff.

I remember talking to Craig for just a minute around this time, it was obvious he was very busy with the many duties of manager. At that time it was making sure the beer lines were orderly and tracking down underage patrons. I did not see him stop for more than 10 seconds as he made his way amongst the crowd. Marcia said that Claddagh’s corporate management pulled Craig aside and wanted to talk to him before the game. He declined because he wanted to keep running the event rather than take a meeting.

Post match, as many patrons, including me started heading home, Craig and some of the staff took a short break. This, according to Marcia, is apparently when the corporate manager pulled Craig out to the patio and reprimanded him in front of the other managers and even some customers. It was made clear to Craig that he had not done a good enough job by underestimating the crowd, running understaffed, and declining help from the visiting management staff. Craig chose to quit as he would either continue to be second guessed or even dismissed.

As for the rest of the staff I won’t even try to sum up the disgust that the staff felt after Craig left. Marcia put it best when asked by corporate if she was quitting after the general manager and assistant manager Monty just quit, “I told him that I was tired of corporate treating people like shit and I left too and then the whole bar staff left. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!”

There is a few of the regular staff left. They have moved the GM from Claddagh Polaris to the Brewery District some staff that walked out are getting calls to come back, but Marcia also said that she, Craig, Monty and a couple other bar staff have been told to never step foot in the Claddagh again. The corporate line is that every event will go on as scheduled and within 6 months everything will be back to normal. I find that impossible to believe. The regulars that made the place home are ready to collect the scarfs that line the walls. Others have already commented they won’t be coming back as it stands now. There is nothing that will make me go back there.

I have nothing but thanks to offer Craig, Monty, Jeff, Wendy, and the countless other staff that have treated me so well at the old Claddagh. I also have many thanks to Marcia for sharing what led up to what I see as the end of the premier soccer bar in the city.

From John Clem’s comment below:

For what it’s worth, I’ve been informed that Claddagh did better business on Saturday than they’ve ever done for  St. Patrick’s Day.  I’d imagine it was one of the best days ever for the entire chain.  Makes the whole thing more mind boggling.

It doesn’t surprise me they did so much business. I just can’t believe management wouldn’t try to figure out how Craig and his staff did it. Truly “Mind Boggling”

If you didn’t make it down to Claddagh on Saturday, it might be a little hard to understand just how busy it was. Sam Fahmi and Jason Mowry of MassiveReport.com have several shots of the crowd that wanted to enjoy the game in the best place to watch in Columbus.

Please check out the rest of the set over at the Crew centered MassiveReport.com. It’s quality stuff and I would say that even if I didn’t write for them.

I also want to thank you for all of the comments. I have heard back from some of the former staff and am working to get something up this afternoon.

Claddagh is facing an uncertain future as a destination for Columbus soccer fans as much of the staff, including General Manager Craig McConville no longer works there after a falling out with corporate management. McConville was central to Claddagh’s rise as a top spot for fans to catch a match, whether it started at 7 am or 10 pm and was well liked by the customers and staff alike.

The dispute stems from the massive England v. US party that Claddagh hosted yesterday. With interest in the game high, McConville and staff came up with the ideas to accommodate as many soccer mad fans as possible. This included opening well before the 7am Greece v. South Korea game. Arranging for a portable 14 foot wide screen to show the game in an adjoining park and bringing in grills and a beer truck to serve what would be a hungry and thirsty crowd. Triple the expected 1000 people showed up for the festivities.

As I understand the situation, a member Claddagh corporate management had no problems with the party, but was angry at what was seen as the lack of adequate preparation. Some of the issues I know about were related to the lack of staff to handle the event and not having enough beer trucks outside to serve the attendees. Understandable concerns given some of the lines, but the corporate manager chose to berate him in front of the other managers. I am not sure what was said, but it was apparently very harsh as McConville chose to walk out and much of the staff followed.

McConville has been instrumental in building Claddagh into a soccer destination. It’s the Crew’s away game headquarters through his work. He built a strong relationship with the Crew Supporters Union, becoming the supporters bar for CSU. John Clem of CSU spoke highly of McConville, “We had a perfect situation with Craig and the rest of the staff so it’s caught us all off guard.” I wouldn’t be surprised if they looked for another home given Craig and the rest of the Claddagh staff’s departure.

I am certainly not a neutral party. I have talked to Craig many times. The first time I met him, he turned on a Friday afternoon Bundesliga game for me. He even offered to call me with the final score, since I had to leave early. He is a nice guy with a mind for customer service. His staff speaks well of him, that’s impressive. He also gets what being a soccer bar means. He caters to the die hard customers willing to come in at 7am. The staff he assembled were friendly and accommodating to soccer fans. Patrons understood this too, it’s evident by the dozens of donated scarfs that line the walls.

Management and staff can certainly be replaced, but it will take a long time to rebuilt what was lost this weekend. Columbus probably lost the best soccer bar in town. I know many people that won’t be heading back without the staff that was vital to the atmosphere; I am certainly going to look elsewhere. Claddagh loses out on the ties to the soccer community in this town. Last but not least, the former staff of Claddagh don’t have jobs because they chose to stick together. It seems like such a big loss on what should have been a great day for soccer.

I have yet to hear back from the former Claddagh staff, but if I do, I will add it here.