Many of the best soccer bars in the U.S. started as Irish- (or English-) style pubs and enhanced that identity by catering to the growing American (and constant expat) interest in soccer from other shores. It’s a match made in heaven when draught Guinness or Bass Ale meet a full slate of weekend matches on an array of flat screens from Futbol Fortress Europa.
Finnegan’s Irish Pub on South Memorial Parkway in Huntsville has the Guinness on tap, an honest-to-goodness dark, dank “who cares if it’s light outside and I’m on #6” feel, and one of the best burgers in town. It also has a substantial U-shaped bar, tables and lounge space replete with couches and coffee tables.
According to Julie the Bartender on my visit one recent afternoon, they are also about to add a “the soccer package” to their television service. All of this is promising.: Good food, good bevies, moderate soccer priority.
One thing, however, stands out as a major negative: Finnegan’s only has two (2) small screen, old fashioned tv’s. This may well add to the substantial charm of this wonderful joint, but is hardly conducive to watching big games from Europe’s biggest leagues simultaneously on a Saturday morning. Finnegan’s opens @ 11:00 am and, as of now, is not planning to open earlier on Saturday’s to accommodate soccer watching. Finally, yes Finnegan’s is a smoking joint, and the soccer crowd tends towards healthy living. Since I don’t, perhaps another tip to Finnegan’s is in order sometime soon, but probably not on a Saturday morning.
Irish eyes won't be smiling to kindly on soccer fans as Finnegan's Irish Pub only rates a "One Soccer Ball" out of four on the soccer bar potential index, despite the perfectly poured Guinness.
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