Ri Ra reopens after fire

One of uptown Charlotte's more popular pubs is open for business again, more than nine months after being damaged in a fire.

Owners of Ri Ra say they have reopened this week in the 200 block of North Tryon Street.

Their pub suffered significant damage in an early-morning blaze last May 23.

"It's been a long, arduous, but ultimately rewarding process, restoring the pub to its original authenticity," said co-founder and co-owner David Kelly.

Kelly said his partner, Ciaran Sheehan, and Irish craftsmen restored the antique furnishings and made other improvements to the 7,500-square-foot establishment, which opened 13 years ago this month.

"Our customers will find the same genuine Irish pub atmosphere and service," Kelly said.

The original fixtures that were salvaged include the Victorian bar, built in the early 19th century for the officer's mess in the Phoenix Park Barracks in Dublin, then saved in a Dublin garage for 70 years before being moved to Charlotte. Other survivors include a restored Guinness mirror with etched glass panels, dating back to the early 1800s; a collection of Dublin Corporation ledgers from 1800 to 1840; and a statute of St. Patrick that is at least a century old.

Kelly and Sheehan made some changes, including the purchase of a hardwood parquet floor from the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast -- the shipyard where the Titanic was built.

Ri Ra will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily, and patrons can check the Web site, www.rira.com, for details.

This story was originally published March 2, 2010 at 9:21 AM with the headline "Ri Ra reopens after fire."