Céad Mile Fáilte (100,000 Welcomes).

It is said that if you ask an Irishman a question, he’ll answer with another question. This genetic predisposition may explain why whenever I'm asked where the idea for Brannon’s came from, my reply is usually, “How long do you have?”

From as early as I can remember, my grandparents, Eva and Julius Brannon filled my head with stories of Éire and Celtic culture, of our Belfast ancestry, and of their parents' immigration to America. Though 'Bama-born and bred, they were proof that no matter how many generations removed from native soil, the soul of an Irishman (and Irishwoman) remains, as does their fondness for telling stories.

Some of Grandaddy’s livelier tales revolved around public houses. Not bars. Not "pubs." These were cozy places where family, friends, and neighbors gathered to share the goodness of food and company. Blessed with American optimism, he often spoke of the day that he'd open his very own public house in Alabama, alive with Irish gregariousness and Southern graciousness. A place where all would be welcome.

Years later, after spending many wonderful evenings in public houses myself in Dublin, Cork, Galway, and London, Grandad’s dream became my own — and with the help of my family and friends, it has become this Irish Alabaman’s dream come true.

I sincerely hope Brannon’s, Birmingham’s first and only Public House, will make Eva and Julius, all my Belfast forefathers, and our fair city very proud.

It is a place where all are welcome.

James Hardin
Proprietor/Chef
April 2009

Magically Delicious in the heart of the Magic City.

Brannon’s: A Public House is located in the heart of Birmingham, Alabama’s historic Theater District, which itself is in the heart of our city’s downtown. Join us for lunch and then spend an entertaining afternoon at these nearby attractions: • The McWane Center and IMAX Theater
• The Alabama Theater, Showplace of the South
• The Museum of Fond Memories: Reed Books
• Eva’s Enchanted Closet
• The Carver Theater
• The Red Mountain Theater
• The Birmingham Museum of Art
• The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute