An O in front of her name.

In 1989 Maddy Guenther opened the Irish pub she'd always wanted, on a corner of Shore Blvd her family had owned for years. She and her husband Joe still run it.

Two of the O'Maddy's crew on the Gulfport pier.

Since 1989, on the corner of Shore Blvd.

In 1989 a Gulfport native named Maddy wanted an Irish pub of her own. The corner was easy: the building on Shore Blvd S had been in her family for years. The name took a little more imagination.

Back then one side of the building was a snack bar, and a gas station stood at the corner building. Today the whole corner is O'Maddy's. Maddy still owns it, and her husband Joe runs it as general manager.

…she simply put an ‘O’ in front of her name and went into business.

Joe Guenther, as told to Patch

For more than thirty years it has been a neighborhood bar and grille first: lunch on the rail across from the pier, a band every day, and a menu where nearly every dish carries the name of someone who cooks it, serves it or loves it.

Boaters tie up across the street by the Gulfport Casino. Dogs get a water bowl at the outside tables and a menu of their own. Nobody dresses up. Come as you are.

An older photo of the O'Maddy's building seen from across the water and Shore Blvd — An older photo of O'Maddy's, seen from across the water.

O'Maddy's today, with the upper deck.

Then came the upstairs.

In 2022 Gulfport's redevelopment agency approved a second floor with about 70 more seats. It's built now: a covered upper deck looking over Shore Blvd to the bay, with a second stage for the band.

See the upstairs menu →

Food and atmosphere are fun and be ready to make new friends. They have water dishes at the outside tables for your dog who is always welcome. This is the Cheers of Gulfport.

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