Our Place
Castletown Geoghegan (pronounced Ga -gen) is an Irish pub and restaurant located in downtown Belleville, Illinois. Our address is 104 West Main Street, just one block west of the public square. We pride ourselves in presenting our place as a real , Irish pub. We're not, just a juke-joint with bar-food and an Irish name on a shingle in front. We have great food and a unique atmosphere with a great deal of memorabilia acquired in our several trips to Ireland. We offer a warm, cozy atmosphere and some unexpectedly nice décor. We welcome all ages and truly believe the diversity of people that our place attracts is one of our greatest assets. Our main room features a large handcrafted bar and seating for over 70 patrons. The majority of seating in our main room is non-smoking. We also have a banquet room that can comfortably seat as many as 70 additional people. More information regarding banquet arrangements as well as our banquet menu, may be obtained by calling the pub directly at 618-233-4800, or you can click here.
Our Story
Castletown Geoghegan was a dream of the Gagen families. Today, the pub is under the watch of owners Kevin, Tom & Ed Gagen, all of whom are personally involved with the daily management. With the support of our wives ( Mary, Janet, and Troby, Respectively) andfamilies (and a little help from the bank) we've brought that dream to reality right here in downtown Belleville.
Most locals are aware that Belleville has a longstanding German heritage. But there is a long colorful history involving the Irish in St. Clair County and Belleville as well. A large number of the people in this area have at least some degree of Irish ancestry. And after all, enjoying a friendly meal or a frothy beverage with neighbors and friends, is its own universal language that, through the ages, both the Irish and Germans seem to have learned to speak quite fluently. We wish a hundred-thousand welcomes (Cead Mile Failte) to our neighbors and friends of all ancestries!
When you are at Castletown Geoghegan, we hope you will feel like you are visiting Ireland, where the local pub is a gathering place for friends and families any time of day. A pub in Ireland is a place where people of all ages and backgrounds can go to enjoy some hearty food, spirited refreshments, traditional music and the company of friendly people. Our wish is that you feel the same way whenever you visit us.
Our Music
Music is an essential ingredient in creating the atmosphere of a real Irish pub. You will hear the sounds of traditional or modern Irish music as soon as you enter. We also present live entertainment featuring Irish musical artists. We are proud to have already hosted a number of world-class Irish musicians and recording artists. Members of groups such as Chulrua, Patrick Street, Nomos, Bohola, The Dorians, The Irish Brigade, Brock McGuire Band, and Natural Gas have graced our stage. We welcome any recommendations for music to add to our play-list also.
Our Name
We get a lot of questions, comments (and a few jokes) about our name, Geoghegan. It's pronounced “ Ga -gen”. That's right - nine letters, two syllables. This in fact, is how our family name is spelled today (Gagen). But the old Irish spelling is basically the only true version you will find in Ireland.
The name of our pub has been borrowed from a tiny town in the Irish County of Westmeath. It is the ancestral home of our family with roots traced back over 1000 years. All the owners have visited Castletown Geoghegan. We maintain a number of connections in Ireland. In fact, our family coat of arms (on display in the entrance) is a gift from Eddie Geoghegan, who lives in Ireland, near Athlone. He is a family Historian who has actually researched the design and put it together himself.
A framed photo of our pub also proudly graces the wall of Ned Claffey's, the most-prominent pub in Castletown Geoghegan (right across from St. Michael's Church). In fact we now exchange greeting cards with our “Sister-Pub” in Ireland.
We have a number of photos from visits to Ireland displayed around the pub. We also have several items and a wonderful collage that have been given to us by our customers.
Castletown Geoghegan is similar to Belleville in more ways than one might think. Both are located in the heart of their country, in a largely agricultural area. Relatively flat land with rolling hills is familiar to both. Both towns are also located just a few miles to the east of a major city as well as the major rivers that symbolically divide each country between east and west.
Hours of Operation
MON thru THU - 11:00 AM - 11:00 PM(or later)
FRI & SAT - 11:0 0 AM to 1:00 AM
Directions
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ParkingStreet parking is available all around the pub on Main, First and Second Street. Plus, there are two large public parking lots nearby. One at the corner of First and "A" S treets (adjacent to the School District 118 building). Another is just off Second Street, between West Main and A Street. This one is almost directly across the street from the pub, but is hidden by the buildings across the street. Parking meters only require "feeding" before 5:00 PM on weekdays. Our neighbors at the County offices and bank across the street have no objection to evening and weekend use of their lots. Parking meters are free on evenings and weekends and timed spaces are not applied either. We tell our customers even if you have to park two blocks away, you're still not going to have to walk any further than you would at any mall.
