Irish Pub Owner Discovered to be from
Scotland
Patrons at "McCormack's Irish Pub" in Scottsdale, AZ. fooled for years
Scottsdale, AZ - Regulars to McCormack's Irish Pub in Scottsdale, Arizona were shocked and angry when they discovered that the bar's owner, Andrew McCormack, is actually from Scotland. The truth was uncovered when one of McCormack's fifteen brothers paid a surprise visit to the pub last week.
Stephen McCormack, ten months Andrew's elder, thought he would surprise his brother, whom he had not seen for almost two years, when business brought him to Scottsdale. The reunion was joyous at first, but after eleven pints of Guinness, the elder brother began to tell pub regulars stories about Andrew and their family. One story mentioned their boyhood home near Glasgow, which is in Scotland. Another tale told the story of the two boys being sent to bed without their haggis after "messing around" with the family sheep. Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish, and patrons immediately picked up on the clues.
When Andrew emerged from the kitchen to sit and have a pint with the regulars, he was confronted. "At first, I said that Stephen must be drunk and he didn't know what he was talking about, but everyone was still suspicious", said McCormack. "I finally admitted everything. It was kind of a relief, actually. I had been living this lie ever since I opened the pub."
McCormack said he came up with the ruse when he could get no financial backing to open a Scottish pub and restaurant. "No bank or private investor thought it was a good idea, with Scottish food being so horrible and all."
Pub regulars were shaken, yet remained in the pub until closing time. "I really don't have anywhere else to go", said Doug Patrick. Patrick drinks at McCormack's "four or five times a week", and has formed a friendship with the pub's owner. "Andy's a good guy. I mean, I'm not happy that he's Scottish and that he's been lying to us all these years, but like I said, I don't have anywhere else to go."
Seamus Coyle, another regular, is not as forgiving. "That bloke, saying he's Irish and all, faking the accent. It's a load of crap. I'm going to start drinking at the Outback Steakhouse. It might be crap, but at least they're honest about being crap."
After closing time, McCormack sat alone at his bar, drinking a Guinness and reflecting on ten years of pretending to be Irish. "Most people just heard an accent, and didn't ask any questions. And when real Irish folks would come in, well I'd be sure to talk with an Irish accent. Nobody got hurt. It was beautiful."
McCormack says that he plans to keep the pub open, but may change the name to "McCormack's Pub of the British Isles".
"I can't afford to close. If it weren't for this place, I wouldn't own my own patio home. And I sure as hell wouldn't have qualified for a Visa Platinum card. Hopefully, (pub regulars) drank enough tonight so that when they wake up tomorrow, they won't remember anything."
