Short trip to Ireland by way of New Castle

NEW CASTLE — If you’re sitting in a snug and enjoying a glass of Guinness while basking in the sunlit colors of a vintage stained-glass window, where are you?

If you said Ireland, you’re right.

If you said downtown New Castle, Pa., you’re right again — and you’ve likely been to Lanigan’s Irish Pub.

You also know enough about Irish history to know what a snug is. But for those of you who’ve never been to Lanigan’s and are not up on Irish culture, pub owner Rick Russo is proud to fill you in.

He and his wife, Maureen Lanigan Russo, opened the pub’s doors seven months ago. They’re passionate about giving their patrons a real Irish experience, with authentic decor, period antiques and traditional Irish dishes that mingle on the menu with standard American hamburgers and wings.

Of course, you’re going to go to a restaurant for the food. You might be brave and try something different at Lanigan’s — a boxty, which is a potato pancake the restaurant wraps around fillings such as chicken chunks and cheese, for example; or the shepherd’s pie.

But don’t get so lost in your food and your Guinness that you don’t glance up once in awhile and enjoy your surroundings. You would be cheating yourself.

Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator and at Vindy.com