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Bars and restaurants across the South Shore are raising pints — and money — for The Harp & Hound.
Fundraisers are being organized throughout the holidays to help rebuild the beloved Irish pub after a devastating morning fire on Nov. 12.
“We couldn’t appreciate the support any more; it is truly unbelievable,” said Kyra Comiskey, who runs the Main Street locale with her partners, Nick Jimenez, Heather Hemberger and Matt Venturini. “It’s actually shocking, the amount of support we’ve been getting, from our families, our friends, our neighboring businesses.”
Already on tap is a special fundraiser planned for Monday, Nov. 24, billed as a “Rise from the Ashes” night at Lily’s Babylon, with a $50 entrance fee (minimum donation), a complimentary buffet, raffles, guest bartenders, live music and more.
There’s also the “Be a Good Neighbor” night on Monday, Dec. 8, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Goody Two Shoes in Bay Shore. Click here for details and tickets.
On Dec. 14, Great South Bay Brewery is teaming up with the Jesse Gerhard Memorial Foundation of Islip for a special holiday fundraiser, with more details to come.
And Belfast Gastropub in Lindenhurst has offered to host an upcoming event.
Meanwhile, Comiskey’s Babylon neighbors have set up an online fundraiser for the family.
“We want to raise money to help them get the re-build going and help them pay their bills through the holidays,” said Wayne Meehan of Lily Flanagan’s Restaurant Group, which operates Lily’s Babylon. “A bar could not be out of business at a worse time.”
“The owners and staff need all the help they can get,” he added. “It’s all so devastating, obviously.”
Meehan noted not only his family’s connection to Harp & Hound, but the deep ties many in the industry and across the South Shore have to the building itself, where memories were made during the decades that Lily Flanagan’s operated at the same location.
Comiskey is the granddaughter of Lily Flanagan, the pub’s namesake, and she and her partners worked hard to keep things in the family by taking over the spot and reopening as Harp & Hound in 2020.
Mike McElwee and Drew Dvorkin, owners of Goody Two Shoes, said their own emotional connection to the building — along with empathy for fellow hospitality workers — compelled them to help.
“When Drew and I heard about the fire last week, we immediately started talking about our personal connections to the building in the old Lily’s days,” McElwee said. “We were talking about the employees and how tough it is to be out of work with the upcoming holiday season. The owners there do so much for the community and we figured this could be our way to do good and host an event to raise funds for the employees.”
McElwee added that the Dec. 8 fundraiser at Goody Two Shoes has the full backing of the Bay Shore Restaurant Committee. The Bay Shore St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee is also committing a donation for The Harp & Hound.
What happened
On the morning of the fire, Comiskey said she was awoken by her 6-year-old daughter.
“She told me my phone wouldn’t stop making noise,” Comiskey said. “It was Islip residents telling me my business was on fire.”
She jumped in the car and headed to her “second home,” as she calls The Harp & Hound.
“I couldn’t get down the streets; the cops and everything were taped off and the fire departments were there,” she said. “The first thing I saw was a stretcher and my heart sank, though I later learned that was a precaution. No one was inside at the time.”
The fire started near the kitchen, she said, not inside it.
It was reported just after 7:30 a.m. and brought under control later that morning.
“We stood there for hours while they put out the fire and the smoke, and it was upsetting and just terrible for everyone to watch,” Comiskey said.
“This fire is especially devastating to the Islip Fire Department and our community,” the department later posted, “as the staff and management of the Harp and Hound are always willing to help out the local community and support our department as well as many other organizations.”
Comiskey said volunteers from Islip, East Islip, Central Islip and Bay Shore all responded.
“It was an unbelievable job,” she said. “The support was excellent. We couldn’t go near the building but they were coming out giving us updates and reports. I’ve never seen our firefighters in action but they were second to none.”
Their second home
As ownership continues working with insurance adjusters, contractors and local officials for permits and approvals, Comiskey said the hardest part will be missing her staff and customers, especially during the holidays.
“My staff appreciates them so much,” she said. “I’m from Ireland and Harp is my second home, other than with my children, and I already miss those people an awful lot. I can’t wait to open the front door and welcome them back in.”
The damage has not yet been assessed, she added, so there’s no timeline for reopening.
“We’re not even allowed to sweep the floor and it’s already been a week,” she said. “That’s a week with no salaries, no pay, no seeing our friends. It just hurts.”
But every little bit helps, Comiskey is finding — and The Harp & Hound is feeling the love.
“The whole world is basically helping us and is taking care of us, and I just can’t believe it,” she said.
Top: The Harp & Hound opened in 2020 on Main Street in Islip. (Credit: Nick Esposito/GLI file photos)
