We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Danny and Jessica Barry a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Danny and Jessica , thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Hello, we are Danny (37) and Jessica Barry (33). We now own our own liquor company for the past 7 months but before this we opened an award winning Irish Pub at the ages of 20 and 24.

In 2011 we got married on January 22, honeymooned in Ireland and came back to open up our Irish Pub in September. We had very little experience but knew that our Irish heritage was and is something we both hold close to our hearts.
Pub is short for public house and that is what we found on every corner in Ireland, which lead us back to creating an Irish pub in Webster, NY. When we opened the doors in 2011 we couldn’t have imagined the love, joy and warmth we would endure. Over those 12 years we have made some of our greatest achievements such as our 3 amazing kids (Maley, Rory, and Patrick), being named nationally and internationally one of the top Irish pubs in the US, holding our annual Barry’s Irish Festival (4 years), connecting with so many people, and now launching our own Barry’s Irish Cream Liqueur.
We are super excited for the future!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

We have always wanted to do life together, not working crazy hours at opposite jobs, coming home and having dinner as a family (maybe) and then living for the weekends. Our love and commitment for one another lead us to opening an Irish Pub together at the ages of 20 and 24.
Danny from the age of 5 has always wanted to open an Irish pub in Rochester, NY. He doodled it in his notebooks throughout his school days and dreamed to one day open it. His grandfather fought in WW2, only 1 of 2 to return from his company in the South Pacific. When he returned he started his own business… Atlantic recreational which was a bowling hall. Later he bought a restaurant in Rochester, NY that he ran for 40+ years. His hard work ethic gave the confidence Danny needed to take the leap of faith to open up an Irish Pub.
I (Jessica) always knew about his dream and naturally fell in love with it myself. After being married at 19 and 23 we honeymooned in Ireland, came back and opened up our little Irish Pub in Webster, NY that same year. We also found out a month after our grand opening that we were expecting our first child.
Over these last 12 years of having an Irish Pub we have had 3 amazing kids, won several local awards for Best Irish Pub/Bar, ranked internationally as the 2nd best Irish pub in the US, brought back the Irish festival to the Rochester area (this year will be our 5th), and launched our very own liquor brand that we are still expanding across the country and world.
Barry’s is our brand and it’s all about connecting the 2 worlds of America and Ireland that we love so much!

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

While we were young, inexperienced, and new to the business we have a lot of heart and grit. We would make sure one of us was present at our business every minute we were open so we could make connections with the people that came through the door, especially the first 5-8 years. When selling a product or an experience you want to make sure everyone is getting the best. But we didn’t look at it as trying to sell to people, it’s something that we love and wanted people to be able to experience as well.

While we have spent time in Ireland we were able to bring back so many amazing ideas and philosophies. At a pub in Wexford Ireland we met a fishermen having a pint and he shared with us the best advice… “it’s nice to be nice”. We live everyday on those words and find them to be true time and time again.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The Secret! Anyone who has read this book or watched the film knows that “the secret” is the key to any success in your life. There are many different sources from this that allow you to dig deeper in the meaning of the secret. However if you take away from this the law of attraction there is nothing you can’t do in this world. You have to see and experience yourself where you want to be or apart of something you want to do before it happens. Anything your mind can think of is possible, there are no limits.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Thebarrybrand.com
• Instagram: @barrysirishpub
• Facebook: Barry’s Old School Irish