Raglan Road in Kansas City Closes

It was announced official last week that Raglan Road Irish Pub in Kansas City has closed it's pub at The Power and Light District location.  It was reported that Raglan Road was over $700,000.00 behind in the payment of their rent for the restaurant / bar location.  Details of the actual reason for closure are not available, but Raglan Road representatives made a statement that they had been involved in legal battles with Cordish, Inc. the owners of the Power and Light District.

Cordish has proven to be an incompetent company on many fronts, including the failure to pay vendors in a timely manner, forgetting to pay vendors entirely, poor communication with local Kansas City companies, sending Kansas City companies to call their office in Baltimore, MD to get anything done, and a general "we don't give a shit" attitude toward Kansas City in general.  The closing of Raglan Road Irish Pub comes as no surprise as business has been slow at the Power and Light District and Raglan Road was spending a lot of money on live entertainment among other things.  This has to at least raise the question that since Cordish has already received their money for the Power and Light District, do they really care what happens to their current tenants?  Probably not, they are based in Baltimore, Maryland - what do they care what happens to Kansas City?  Keep your eye on them, we will see.  So far they're just going around suing everybody.  Typical corporate bullshit.

Raglan Road Irish Pub in Kansas City has two other locations in Florida and in Ireland and they will be missed in Kansas City as one of the only Irish pubs in the area that featured authentic Irish music, dancing, and cuisine.

Irish Bands - Battle of the Bands in Irish Pubs

Voting starts now! The top 5 represent some of the best Irish bands
in North America, Ireland and the UK. Who will be crowned winner? You
be the judge! Visit www.slbc.ie to vote for your favourite band and
send them on the trip of a lifetime to Las Vegas.


What’s great about this competition is that it’s judged by real fans
of Irish music with one lucky voter winning big. All voting email
addresses will go into the draw for two tickets to fly to Las
Vegas and watch the band perform. The Battle of the Bands III winner
will be crowned on St Patrick’s Birthday (16th December).

For more information including rules and guidelines visit www.slbc.ie,
email info@slbc.ie or join our Facebook page
www.facebook.com/strangfordloughbrewingcompany for daily updates and
news.

Good luck and get voting!

New McFadden's Irish Bar @ Rio in Vegas!

McFadden's Irish Bar opens in Las Vegas!

Strangford Lough Brewing Company (SLBC) are thrilled to announce their
alliance with McFadden’s Irish bar at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
McFadden’s "one of the trendiest Irish pubs in Las Vegas" has agreed to
play host to the Band emerging victorious in Battle of the Bands III. The
voting polls will officially open on Monday 22nd November, so get voting for
your preferred band.

Fans can vote on www.slbc.ie with all voting email addresses going into a
prize draw for two tickets to fly to Las Vegas and watch the band perform
with accommodation provided courtesy of McFadden’s for 5 nights. Each
video entry can be viewed on www.youtube.com/irishbotb3 and voting lines are
open for one week only from Monday 22nd until 29th November 2010, with the
top five finalists being announced on 1st December 2010.

After you submit your vote, get your friends involved, get your family
involved, get anyone you know! Show your grandma how to use the internet and
get her in on the action. Bring the noise and send one band and one lucky
voter and a friend on the trip of a lifetime!

This huge competition is free to enter, free to vote and free to watch, with
no travel necessary unless you’re the winner of the competition. It’s
green in every sense of the word.

Battle of the Bands III has unearthed some fantastic new talent as well as
welcoming back old favourites who have upped the ante on their performances.
The Galway Hooker Band from California who came within one hundred votes of
claiming the BOTB1 title are among those entered for another chance at
claiming the Best Irish Band coveted title.

Paul Wilson from The Galway Hooker Band commented. “We want to extend our
thanks to SLBC for supporting this massive online event. We thoroughly
enjoyed the first event and are holding out for the title this time around.
We hold them (SLBC) in the highest regard.”

Speaking about the joint venture and the competition Tony Davies (Managing
Director for SLBC): “Working with McFadden’s, one of the best known
Irish bar chains in the USA is an exciting prospect. I’m sure the winning
band will be overjoyed with the opportunity to perform here in Las Vegas and
staying at the Rio is an added bonus.”

Located in the Masquerade Village at the Rio, McFadden’s Las Vegas is the
hottest new addition to the family. It is the perfect place to catch your
favorite game, join your friends for a few drinks, plan your next event, or
let loose with their resident DJ's and fun bar staff.

The competition winners will be announced after the second round of voting
on St Patrick’s Birthday (16th of December). Why not treat yourself to a
St Patrick’s Best (official beer of the competition) in honour of the man
himself.

For further information including rules of the competition, please visit
www.slbc.ie or email us at info@slbc.ie


Contact:        Grace Lavery
Phone:  +44 (0) 2844 821461
E-mail: gracel@slbc.ie


Additional Information

About SLBC
SLBC established in 2004 is based in Killyleagh, Co. Down. Currently selling
beer in Ireland the UK and Norway, SLBC has developed a unique way of
exporting its product from Ireland, not in bottles, but in a concentrated
form. This makes SLBC’s Immigrant Beer one of the freshest on the market,
while still containing all the character of Ireland.

Raglan Road - Lyrics to the Song "Raglan Road"

On Raglan Road Lyrics
based on a poem by 
Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh 

On Raglan Road of an autumn day
I saw her first and knew
That her dark hair would weave a snare
That I might one day rue
I saw the danger and I passed
Along the enchanted way
And said let grief be a fallen leaf
At the dawning of the day

On Grafton Street in November
We tripped lightly along the ledge
Of a deep ravine where can be seen
The worth of passion's pledge
The Queen of Hearts still making tarts
And I not making hay
Oh I loved too much and by such by such
Is happiness thrown away

I gave her gifts of the mind
I gave her the secret signs
Known to the artists who have known
The true gods of sound and stone
And word and tint I did not stint
I gave her poems to say
With her own name there
And her own dark hair
Like clouds over fields of May

On a quiet street where old ghosts meet
I see her walking now
Away from me so hurriedly my reason must allow
That I had loved not as I should
A creature made of clay
When the angel woos the clay
He'll lose his wings at the dawn of day

Irish Band Battle of the Irish Bands Winner Announced!

Irish Bands Compete for Best Irish Band in Ireland, The USA and the UK

“A thrilling, first class Irish Band competition that turned into the
dream of a lifetime for your Battle Of The Bands II winners, West Of Galway.” Bernie Green, West of Galway.

Battle of the Bands III sponsored by Strangford Lough Brewing Company (SLBC)
is set to further raise the bar both for Irish bands and the fans who get
involved.  The bands perform at several Irish Pubs and sing songs that take you back to
old Raglan Road in Ireland.  Last year’s online event attracted over 50 bands and it is hoped
that even more can be accommodated this year. Bernie Green from Battle of
the Bands II winners West of Galway commented: “We would strongly
encourage any Irish Band to participate in future Battle of the Bands
competitions as the event was a truly memorable experience”.

The competition is an exciting platform for artists to showcase their talent
and is set to become the largest Irish Battle of the Bands contest by
allowing bands throughout North America, UK and Ireland to participate. The
competition is completely free to enter and gives fans an exciting
opportunity to support their favourite Irish band throughout the contest.

The competition is open to all Irish musical genres, the only restriction
being that all band members must be over 21 years of age. This is a great
opportunity for newly formed or upcoming bands to test their readiness in an
‘online’ play off and for the more seasoned players to demonstrate why
they should be named and crowned best Irish band.

Bands can enter up until midnight EST on the 16th November by emailing a
video or link of their chosen performance to info@slbc.ie. Large video files
can be emailed or transferred via www.transferbigfiles.com or any other
large file transfer site. Videos will then be uploaded to our YouTube
channel www.youtube.com/irishbotb3 and voting will commence on the 22nd
November.
The five bands with the most votes will go through to the second round where
they will then battle it out for supremacy. The winning band will receive
flights to Las Vegas, accommodation for five nights and a live appearance
and gig at a well known venue in Las Vegas.

“Going to Vegas to play will hopefully entice talent from all parts of the
USA, UK and Ireland. As the competition is easy to enter we are hoping that
people who might not normally enter a music competition will ‘give it a
go’. This may be their opportunity for the wider world to appreciate their
talents. Battle of the Bands II winner ‘West of Galway’ rallied their
fans and received votes from all across the world in the competition. They
were delighted to win a once in a lifetime trip to Ireland and a gig at the
International ‘Celtic Fusion’ music festival.” commented Grace Lavery,
Marketing Manager Strangford Lough Brewing Company.

Bernie Greene, BOTBII winning member had this to say: “Like St. Patrick's
Best Ale being born in Ireland and Matured in America, Strangford Lough
Brewing Company gave West of Galway the opportunity to be born in America
and mature in Ireland at the Celtic Fusion Music Festival in County Down! We
applaud your support of Irish Music throughout the world and we would like
to express our heartfelt appreciation for sponsoring the Battle of the Bands
2 Competition and providing the opportunity for Irish Bands from around the
world perform their art.

The public can vote for their favorite band online at www.slbc.ie and
what’s great about this competition is that it’s judged by real fans of
Irish music with one lucky voter winning big. All voting email addresses
will go into the lucky draw for two tickets to fly to Las Vegas and watch
the band perform. The Battle of the Bands III winner will be crowned on St
Patrick’s Birthday (16th December).

For more information including rules and guidelines visit www.slbc.ie, email
info@slbc.ie or join our Facebook page
www.facebook.com/strangfordloughbrewingcompany for daily updates and news.
 * * *
ENDS
Contact:        Orla McGreevy, Communications Executive
Phone:  +44 (0) 28 4482 1461
E-mail:         info@slbc.ie

About SLBC
Strangford Lough Brewing Company was established in 2004 and is based in
Killyleagh, Co. Down. Currently selling beer in Ireland the UK and Norway,
SLBC has developed a unique method of exporting its product from Ireland,
not in bottles, but in a concentrated form. This makes SLBC’s Immigrant
Beer one of the freshest on the market, while still containing all the
goodness of Ireland.
SLBC owns the registered trademark for St. Patrick’s for ale, beer, lager
and stout in the United States.

Irish Battle of the Bands

Bands get ready to rock as Irish Battle of the Bands III kicks off next month.

Strangford Lough Brewing Company (SLBC) will open registration for the 2010 Irish Battle of the Bands competition on the 8th November. The contest, an exciting platform for artists to showcase their talent is set to become the largest Irish Battle of the Bands competition with entries allowing bands throughout North America, UK and Ireland to participate. Interested bands have three weeks from today to find or film a video of their band playing live.

Bands can register from the 8th to the 16th November by emailing a video or link of their chosen performance to info@slbc.ie and entry is completely free. Large video files can be emailed or transferred via www.transferbigfiles.com or any other large file transfer site. Videos will then be uploaded to our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/irishbotb3 and voting will commence on the 22nd November. The five bands with the most votes will go through to the second round where they will then battle it out for supremacy.  The winning band will receive a host of goodies, including flights to Las Vegas, accommodation for five nights while there and a live appearance and gig at a venue in Las Vegas TBC.

The competition is open to all Irish musical genres, the only restriction being that all band members must be over 21 years of age. This is a great opportunity for newly formed or upcoming bands to test their readiness in an ‘online’ play off and for the more seasoned players to demonstrate why they should be named and crowned best Irish band.

Fans too can register their interest by voting for their favourite band and viewing the competition's progress on-line. One lucky voter will also win two flights to Las Vegas so encourage your fans to get involved and make this the biggest battle yet! 

Good Luck!
For more information and a full list of competition guidelines visit www.slbc.ie or email info@slbc.ie

Irish Bars Irish Pubs in Kansas City

Kansas City Irish Pubs and Irish Bars

Kansas City is famous for it's St. Patrick's Day celebrations and we have a rich Irish following in KC.  This would present a need for several great Irish Pubs and Irish Bars in Kansas City.  An Irish pub is expected to serve authentic Irish beers, feature authentic Irish food and present a feeling of being in old Ireland, sitting at a pub somewhere along Ireland's famous Raglan Road.

Kansas City offers several great Irish pubs and Irish bars to enjoy year-round.  There are several located in downtown Kansas City, The Power and Light District, The Plaza, Westport, Overland Park, Waldo and more.

The Best Irish Bar in Kansas City?

Vote for the Best Irish Bar in Kansas City
Attention Bands:  Do you play in an Irish bar? Do you think it’s the best Irish bar in North America? Would you recommend it as a great Irish bar to other people? By simply writing a bar review on www.irishbeerfinder.com, you can enter your favourite bar into a competition to be crowned the best Irish bar in their state or even North America! Strangford Lough Brewing Company and Irishbeerfinder.com are launching a search to find the best Irish bar in the USA. The competition is free and very easy to enter –  simply encourage fans of your band to rate and review the Irish bars where you perform. The overall winning bar and one lucky reviewer, chosen at random from all those who write a bar review, will also win two return flights to Las Vegas from anywhere in North America. Awards will also be given to the best Irish Bars in each US state.

All Irish bars listed on www.irishbeerfinder.com have the opportunity to win
the title of Best Irish Bar in North America and also in the state where
they are located. Every bar review written on Irish Beer Finder between
Monday 4th at 9am ET (Eastern Time) and Sunday 24th October 7pm ET will
count as an entry into the competition. At the end of the competition, the
bar with the highest ratings and best bar reviews from customers will be
crowned the best. The Best Irish Bar in North America will win 2 flights to
Las Vegas from anywhere in the US.

To support the Irish bar you play in to win the prestigious title simply
encourage your fans to visit www.irishbeerfinder.com and write a bar review
about the bar where you perform. Everyone who submits a review is also
entered into a draw with a chance to win two return flights to Las Vegas
from anywhere in North America.

A daily leader board will be displayed on the homepage of
www.irishbeerfinder.com to show which Irish bars are in the lead. So why not
get involved? The competition is free to enter and all you have to do is ask
your fans to review the Irish bar where you play.

For further information and competition rules, please visit
www.irishbeerfinder.com or email emma@irishbeerfinder.com.