Hibernian Radio Podcast, Sat. August 5, 2023

Brendan Byrne Fox’s Pizza, Guinness, The Wolfhound Bar, Madden Funds and Flood Brothers Disposal present the Hibernian Radio Hour for a special recording at the Wolfhound Pub, and this week we welcome its proprietor Brendan Byrne. Brendan was born in Portage Park and grew up in Wheeling where he attended Wheeling High School. Both his parents were born and raised in Ireland in Wicklow and Galway and he shares the story of how his Mom and her whole family moved to the States after their father died. He also mentions ‘The Galway Bakers’ which is run by his Mom and Aunt and they sell their baked goods at Irish festivals and other events. You can catch them at the Dublin Irish Festival in Ohio this weekend! Brendan is involved in the thick of Chicago’s Irish culture and he dives into discussing his newest endeavor, The Wolfhound Bar & Kitchen, which opened 2 years ago. He explains the story behind the name and some of the great events they host including the trad session on Tuesday nights. Be sure to get out there for their next session and you might even see Brendan on the fiddle! He has been playing the fiddle since he was a kid and plays with The Chancey Brothers. He has been working with the Chicago Fire Department for 15 years and currently works at Bucktown’s Firehouse. He mentions ‘Ignite The Spirit’; a firefighter-run charity who support First Responders and Firefighters in times of need, from duty deaths to illnesses or sick family members. Brendan goes on to tell some stories from his career so far including the scary story about witnessing a fellow firefighter being rocketed out of the building just a few months ago. The guy was severely injured but is in recovery and he and his family received huge support from ‘Ignite The Spirit’. “We get to witness their impact firsthand” – Brendan. He also discusses the Property Management Company he set up in 2015 that specializes in short-term rentals and he explains how he came up with the idea during his time living alone in a big 3 bedroom house  He began to renovate and remodel, creating his first rental with help from his Dad and Uncle – and the rest is history! Brendan is looking forward to visiting Ireland later this year and being involved in renovating the family cottage in Wicklow that he purchased a few years ago. This guy is a true Irish warrior so be sure to get out and support him at The Wolfhound. We’re honored to have him on the show this week!