Why is The Harp Pub on West Main Street in Belleville bright yellow? What we learned

In a recent column, I go into detail about The Harp Pub in Belleville, particularly the building and its features.

But there was something I didn’t address in that story: Why is The Harp Pub yellow?

I admit that I really liked the exterior’s previous colors of blue and white, even though most of the paint appeared faded and in need of a refresh.

The first time I saw the yellow … Well, I was shocked. I literally had my hand to my chest and audibly gasped.

But after speaking with The Harp’s owners, Glen McElligott and Greg Partelow about the color, I feel better about their choice.

Why paint the building at all? As I said, I really liked the blue and white it was before.

McElligott said they had to paint the building because there’s some moisture damage to the brick. The masonry needed a special paint to make it “breathable” and able to release moisture, preventing further damage over time.

So why yellow?

They selected the yellow because a lot of buildings in Ireland are painted in bright colors, according to McElligott, who noted this when he visited there.

This is true. Then I wondered why the buildings in Ireland are so colorful and wanted to find out.

Some internet sources provide various stories about why folks in Dublin, Ireland, paint their doors in bright colors .

My favorite (so far) cropped up on multiple websites. It’s about two writers, George Moore and Oliver St. John Gogarty . Apparently Moore painted his door green so that Gogarty would stop mistaking Moore’s house for his after a late night at the pub.

This story states that in retaliation, Gogarty painted his door red, and a new trend began.

What’s likely the real story about door colors is not as fun as some of the legends.

Georgian Dublin’s strict architectural development from 1714 through 1830 included very uniform designs from one home to the next. Everything looked the same.

Eventually people started painting their doors to express their individuality.

And all of this information is just about doors in Ireland. I haven’t even gotten to the full buildings.

But if you’re interested, check out this list of Ireland’s most colorful towns and villages at https://bit.ly/4bIVZHY .

So in keeping with the Irish theme, The Harp Pub is yellow.

Partelow and McElligott both admit that not everyone loves the color.

Partelow said that one lady passing by told them she didn’t like the exterior paint color. She was certain that color must’ve been on sale when they bought it.

But they like the color. McElligott said that sometimes you gotta put lipstick on the pig.

“But the lipstick is yellow,” said Partelow.