Bethesda's St. Patrick's Day problems

Once upon a time, Bethesda had but one St. Patrick's Day problem: Its bizarre lack of a St. Patrick's Day parade. Most communities in America, particularly in areas like the northeast, have such an event on March 17 each year. Not Bethesda! Something else you find in virtually every other community in America is an Irish pub. This "no Irish pub" problem was a second St. Patrick's Day offense that few residents could have imagined.

You see, there used to be several Irish pubs in town, with Flanagan's Harp & Fiddle and Ri-Ra being the most prominent, as the 21st Century began. Flanagan's had been a fixture in downtown Bethesda for over three decades, and would have turned 40 this year - if the Montgomery County Council hadn't come along. The landmark Irish pub was facing the same shrinking profit margins as every establishment in Montgomery County this century, with the Council hiking taxes and creating new ones, driving up minimum wages, and forcing bars and restaurants to buy all of their liquor from one monopoly seller: Montgomery County. It was already tough to compete with D.C. nightlife, where operating a pub was less expensive, and therefore more profitable.

But the Council, on which the Montgomery County political cartel obtained a majority of the seats in 2002, wasn't done yet. Ten years after seizing power, this cartel-controlled Council announced a "Nighttime Economy Initiative." Local media other than this website delivered fawning coverage of this proposal. One can still find articles online in which councilmembers declared that they would make the County "hip," and "cool," if one needs good a comedy read.

In short, the Council argued that nightlife wasn't that great in the County, and a la Donald Trump, they alone could fix it. And fix it they did!

The ensuing years following the launch of the "Nighttime Economy Initiative" saw over 25 nightspots close. There was collateral damage. Businesses like CVS Pharmacy, grocery stores, and even the beloved Tastee Diner, that had all stayed open around the clock for decades, dropped overnight hours. Other businesses cut back their evening hours. It turned out that the "Nighttime Economy Initiative" actually ended up destroying the nighttime economy

But even after the cratering of the nighttime economy, Flanagan's survived. 

(Re)enter the County Council!

In 2020, the Council delivered two final - and fatal - blows to the Bethesda institution. First, it banned live music due to the pandemic. And, as the owner noted upon announcing the pub's closure after 35 years, the final straw was the Bethesda Streetery that was established near Flanagan's. Specifically, the Streetery closures blocked and directed potential traffic away from businesses like Flanagan's on Cordell Avenue, he said.

As much as Councilmember Andrew Friedson wishes it
wasn't so, alas, "The internet is forever"

Councilmember Andrew Friedson was the very public face of the Bethesda Streetery. Once again, the local press fell all over itself to provide a fawning media blitz for Friedson. I've got the receipts, as you can see above. But just as the Council taking loud and full ownership of the nighttime economy meant that it also had to take full ownership of the disastrous results of its plan, Friedson found himself going down in history as the Man Who Caused Flanagan's to Close. What a platform to run for County Executive on! Thankfully for the councilmember, a Washington Post editorial board endorsement of Friedson is already stored on a server at the newspaper, and should David Blair decide not to run, you will be "shocked" and "surprised" when it is published next spring.

And then there were none. Not a single Irish pub is left in Bethesda. There are still restaurants and bars where you can celebrate St. Patrick's Day today in Bethesda. But there is no Irish pub.