Have you ever noticed the number of runners Downtown on a Monday evening? Meet Pete Pagano, owner of Tir na nOg, whose sister’s inspiration started a Raleigh tradition!
DLA members, Ryan Craig and Julie Johnson Babb, caught up with Pete this week to ask him about this, as well as his general impressions of Downtown life.
Ryan: I’ve heard about the nOg run club you host here at Tir na nOg. Tell me a little more about that.
Pete: Well, my sister originally came up with the idea. We partnered with Fleet Feet Sports and at our first monthly meeting we expected around 20 people to show up. We were really surprised when it was more like 60 people! The demand grew so we started meeting every other week and now we meet every Monday night at 6:00 PM. It’s just really a lot of fun, nothing serious. It’s grown so much we get about 300+ runners every Monday night and we just started our second year. It’s really fun to see tons of people running through Downtown Raleigh on a Monday night wearing Tir na nOg shirts.
Tracy, a DLA member commented about the Monday night runs:
“You can run or walk 3-6 miles through Historic Oakwood, Downtown Raleigh and across to Glenwood Avenue. Once you return to the “nOg” they offer a salad and pasta buffet for $1.00/plate. Of course they offer beer specials. What is the true motivation for running 3-6 miles after work?…Eating for a buck and playing trivia and/or bingo to win a beer! And, after 10 runs, they give you a free Tir na nOg wicked shirt, and after 20 runs they give you a free mug.”
Ryan: What is your impression of the Downtown growth since you moved to Raleigh?
Pete: I was actually disappointed in the Downtown Raleigh food scene when I moved here 5 years ago from living in Belgium. I hoped for a lot more independent restaurant options, rather than chain stores. I saw all the empty buildings as a blank canvas. There are still a lot of empty spaces so I still see so much potential in Downtown Raleigh.
Ryan: What do you find to be the best thing about your location in the Moore Square District?
Pete: Moore Square has a laid back and diverse scene, with all types of restaurants from Italian, Asian, and Irish, to German. In addition there are family friendly places like Marbles Kids Museum and IMAX. I’d describe the Moore Square district as unique, not trendy. It is a consistently great place to go where you know you will be happy and have fun every time. We will see how Moore Square changes over time. Hopefully the Downtown Live concerts will stay in this location and we also hope to see other outdoor events.
Ryan: What would you like to see come into Downtown?
Pete: Well, if I could choose, I’d pick to have the RBC Stadium relocated to downtown Raleigh, though I know this is unrealistic. I think Downtown Raleigh needs retail, but it’s probably still too early for that at this time. People in Raleigh are still adjusting to city living and they want a park close by their destination. To support retail you will need to support Downtown living. Adding small, local retail is a good start until the residential base picks up.
Ryan: What are your thoughts on the process of more retail coming to the downtown area?
Pete: In the evolution of Downtown Raleigh, I’d start with the restaurants and more destinations. People will want to live Downtown, with more to attract them. I wish that there would be more investment in apartment buildings. It would be great to have more affordable, rental options and I believe that would bring a lot more foot traffic. The retail will follow. I do believe we are on the upward trend.
Ryan: What makes Tir na nOg unique?
Pete: Every Friday night we offer Irish bands to play in the restaurant. We also support the Wake County Bag Pipe Band which we consider our house band. Sunday’s we have an Irish Jam session and Monday nights we have Gaelic classes taught by a professor at Duke. We really embrace the culture and help to develop the Irish culture.
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DLA Mixer at Tir na nOg . . Come join your Downtown neighbors and friends at Tir no nOg this Wednesday, April 7th, from 5:00-7:00pm. Hors d’oeuvres + Cash Bar provided. RSVP, and we’ll have a name tag waiting for you when you arrive.
See you there!
I just finished my 8th run at the "nOg". I hoping for a salad and pizza buffet for the future. Any other ideas?
I have a few friends that enjoy the run on Monday’s. Great interview DLA!!!! I really enjoy seeing the owners of our Downtown Restaurants on your site. It really makes it more localized when you know a little something about them. Keep up the good work.