Patrons shocked by closing of popular Portland pub

PORTLAND (WGME) – Brian Boru, the popular Portland Irish pub, announced Friday that it's closing its doors.

Affectionately known as "The Pub," it's been a landmark in a prime location in the Old Port for more than 25 years.

Tom Caron is a regular at Brian Boru, a longtime patron who found out Friday morning his favorite pub is closing.

The announcement was made on their Facebook page.

"Well, we're in shock as to why it's closing,” Caron said. “I guess we'll find out later, but it's been an institution since 1993."

On social media, owner Daniel Steele did not say why they were closing, but he did express his deep appreciation for their loyal customers, vendors, and the city of Portland for their decades of support.

However, late Friday afternoon, CBS 13 spoke with Steele outside of Brian Boru.

He says they've had a good run and he felt it was time to close.

As for the future of the popular pub, he wouldn't say.

Chris Dougherty says he can't understand it.

He says they just got through renovating the building, and the place is packed on weekends.

"You know, they've gone through a lot of renovations as of late,” Dougherty said. “They've made this place beautiful. It's got a loyal crowd."

So this will be their last weekend, a last hurrah for loyal customers who've enjoyed the pub all these years.

"You know, it was a place for growth, a place for conversation, a place to meet people, a place that was usually really in a great mood, and it's kind of hard to figure out how we're going to replace that, for each of us,” Caron said. “You know, it's like we're all of a sudden losing 50 friends at the same time."