The Killarney to hold 20th anniversary celebration Wednesday

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC

This Wednesday evening, The Killarney — the Irish pub at the foot of Okemo Mountain in Ludlow — will celebrate 20 years of bringing award winning chicken wings (in addition to other comfort foods like shepherd’s pie) Irish music and a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

Pub owner Mark Verespy of Chester says he was 16 when he started in the restaurant business. Later, as a beer salesman selling to a New Hampshire restaurant owner, Verespy thought, “I’m on the wrong side of the table.” That was the turning point.

Verespy started looking for a place to open an Irish pub. He found it in Ludlow at Nikki’s, a long-established restaurant whose owner was looking to retire. He bought the place in November 2004 and opened The Killarney in February of 2005.

“We opened for a week and then the February break came,” says Verespy referring to the annual rush season at ski resorts. In time, The Killarney became a local institution. One development that has helped, Verespy says, is that summers are busier now than when the pub opened. Entertainment including a Monday Open Mic night and Tuesday Trivia bring folks in. But the Thursday Irish music sessions have been especially successful, drawing musicians and diners from far and wide.

Over the years, the space has seen a complete renovation starting with closing off the basement stairs that were right next to the bar. “There was just a chain across it when we opened and it made me nervous,” says Verespy.  Replacement furniture and other fixtures followed to create the pub you see today.

While the name Verespy doesn’t conjure up images of the Emerald Isle, he comes by the Irish pub honestly. His paternal grandmother was a Gallagher and his mother was a Kelley. And he told The Telegraph that he selected the pub’s name because the Irish town of Killarney is known for its lakes and mountains like the Okemo Mountain area.

Verespy credits the support of family, friends and the community with the success of the pub and looks forward to seeing folks on Wednesday evening.

Wednesday’s anniversary celebration will include music by the Bear Mountain Boys from 6 to 9 p.m., free wings from 5 to 7 p.m., a swag raffle  — everyone who comes gets a ticket  — and a huge sheet cake decorated with photos taken at The Killarney.