Dick O' Dow's

For centuries, “oígidecht” (Gaelic for hospitality) wasn’t just expected in Ireland, it was enforced.

Brehon Law actually mandated that all households offer food, shelter and, of course, a drink, to friends, neighbors and strangers alike, in exchange for nothing more than stories from the road or sharing in a drinking song.

Public houses, called “bruideans,” were even built for the same purpose. Marked by their perpetually burning torches, staff worked around the clock to ensure no travelers passed without being invited in for food and drinks alongside lively company, and a safe place to rest for the night.

Inspired by that oígidecht tradition and built on the belief that a drink always comes before a story, Dick O’ Dow’s is our very own bruidean in the heart of Birmingham. Today, thanks to a little Irish luck and a whole lot of love from friends both old and new, we’re toasting to 20 years of good times and the best that’s yet to come in the city we happily call home.

And though oígidecht laws have long since faded into history, we still live by the words that have come to define the Irish way of life from the rolling emerald countryside to the heart of Dublin:

Céad Míle Fáilte… “A Thousand Welcomes.”