Beijing's Paddy O’Shea’s Nominated Alongside the Best Irish Pubs in the World

Kyle Mullin | Oct 9, 2018 11:30 am | 1 comment | 2927 reads

Think Paddy O’Shea’s is a basic, same-old Irish pub that you could stumble into anywhere in the world? Think it clashes with Beijing’s ever-growing number of slicker craft breweries and snazzier RMB 100 per drink cocktail bars? Well, you might want to reconsider the angle of that upturned nose of yours, because it's those very qualities that make it a reliable, affordable, old favorite among many a Beijing barfly looking to relax, enjoy the big game on a big screen, or meet up with their pals. But don’t take our word for it – the 2018 Irish Pubs Global Awards, held in the Emerald Isle town of Galway, have counted our little ol’ Paddy’s among this year’s nominees.

The long-running Dongzhimen Irish sports was nominated for a head-spinning eight out of the awards’ 10 categories, including for Irish pub of the year. Here’s a rundown of what they garnered nods for:

  • Irish Pub of the Year
  • Best Irish Community Pub
  • Best Chef
  • Best Bar Person
  • Best Irish Whiskey Experience
  • Best Sports Experience
  • Best Entertainment Value
  • Best Food Experience

That means Paddy’s only fell short in the Best Marketing Campaign and Best Cocktail Experience. But eight out of 10 nominations is quite the haul, and Manager Paul Rochon, who flew to Galway for the ceremony, says he and his team worked hard for their nominations, making short videos to make their case for each category, which was one of the requirements. While he joked about scolding his marketing department for striking out in two of the categories, he went on to say that the team's win exceeded his expectations, even joking, “We have nominations for food and chef [categories] where I think we suck, but here we are!”

According to the 2018 Irish Pubs Global Awards website, the nominations opened on May 1 and ran until Jun 26. It went on to detail how “Pubs with the highest number of nominations will be shortlisted in their relevant categories and submit an entry to be judged by our international expert judging panel. Overall award winners will be announced at the Irish Pubs Global Awards ceremony.”

Rochon says he’s not sure how Paddy’s will fare once the awards are actually handed out, but their bar’s high number of nominations already has his heart swelling with pride. “We will see tomorrow,” he said on the eve of the award ceremony, adding: “But if we win something, be sure we are gonna throw a big party for it!”

Read more about the 2018 Irish Pubs Global Awards here. We'll update this article with information about how Paddy's fares at the Galway ceremony once the winners are announced.

READ: Paddy’s Wins Bar/Club of the Year at the Beijinger’s 2016 Bar and Club Awards

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos courtesy of Paddy O'Shea's

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Kyle Mullin's picture Kyle Mullin Submitted by Guest on Wed, 10/10/2018 - 09:47

Paddy's won two awards at the ceremony: Best Community Pub Award for Asia, Africa, and Pacific and Best Community Pub Award. Manager Paul Rochon wrote in a WeChat post:

"... Very proud that it s not only Paddy O'Shea's that has been awareded tonight but all the people who come to Paddy's. All the people who trust our family and make Paddy what is it... that's the way we build it, that's the way we live it and that's the way we love it! An international community of awesome people, focusing on sharing, partying, enjoying and drinking."

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