I have a soft spot for the British/Irish pub scene. It could have something to do with my "drinking" heritage, but I appreciate the mood of both the modern and old-style public houses (what the word "pub" is short for) give off. So when a few people told me about Mulconry's Irish Pub & Restaurant in Fairport I rinsed out my pint glass and headed on over.

On a rare sunny winter's afternoon in Rochester I gathered my band of pub-crawlers and we made our way over to the bar. The two-story building that houses Mulcronry's is hidden away on a side street just over the bridge on the north side of Fairport. As we walked up to the place to dodge the cold, it reminded me of some of the pubs and bars in many of the seaside towns in Ireland. Mulconry's provides intimate outdoor seating upstairs and downstairs for those summer days that seem SO far away right now. On those chillier days or evenings, the first level outdoor patio area shares a working stone fireplace with the inside of the pub.

Mulconry's is decked out in slightly weathered wood with a deep red interior. I quickly forgot about the cold winter outside and soon felt right at home. The bar area is tastefully done with just a few pictures scattered on the wall, a couple of crossed field hockey sticks above the door, and (this is key for a pub) a REAL dartboard complete with a chalk scoreboard. Just on the other side of the wall is a traditional dining room with high-backed booths and its own stone fireplace (there is additional seating for dining upstairs).

Mulconry's has one thing that I usually take issue with whenever I go into pub-type establishment: televisions. But as much as it pains me to admit it, at Mulconry's they work. With music playing in the background and the sound turned down on the three flatscreens (plus two projector screens) around the room, all of them playing sports, I found that I didn't mind that they were there.

The crowd in the pub seemed relaxed; a few people were seated at the bar chatting with some of the staff, taking a break to either enjoy a beverage or play darts. The bartender quickly noticed us and asked us what we would like to drink. At which point I was pleasantly surprised: the man serving us had an authentic Irish accent. Not one of those fake ones you hear out of everyone's mouths on St. Patrick's Day!

The bar has a small but diverse selection of draft beers, including Southern Tier, Labatt Blue, Guinness, and Magner Irish Cider (the hard stuff). Another unusual thing for Mulconry's is that it sells draft beers by the pitcher. Along with the well formed beer selection, it also has a small but nice wine list, including Dr. Frank's rieslings and Hob Nob pinot noir.

As the day went on, the beer went down, and as it got closer to dinnertime more people began to filter into the pub. It was at this point things took a strange turn, as Mulconry's Irish Pub morphed into Mulconry's Sports Bar. Soon the music went down and the sound on the TVs went up. It was the day Jets were playing Cincinnati and some of the people who came in were obviously Jets fans, complete with jerseys that had the name "Namath" emblazoned across the back. The quiet, comfortable pub soon echoed with the chant, "J-E-T-S!" coming from the choir of armchair quarterbacks.

Of course, none of this is the fault of the bar or the fans. And Mulconry's being an Irish pub, who's to say it would be any different if an important soccer or rugby match came on. Even with all the football ruckus Mulconry's maintained its pub-like feel; it was just a bit of a shock after the relaxing afternoon we had. All in all I really enjoyed my time at Mulconry's, and will go back again.

To find Mulconry's in City Newspaper's online Restaurant Guide - including a map, user reviews, and more - click here.

Mulconry's is located at 17 E Liftbridge Lane in Fairport and opens daily at 11: 30 a.m. For more information call 678-4516 or visit mulconrys.com.