By Beverly Simas
Staff Writer

The story goes that Waxy O’Connor lived in a flat above his candle shop. One night, there was a terrible raging fire in his shop but somehow he managed to escape without harm. When all the people in his town heard about what happened they couldn’t believe just how lucky he was! Everyone started interchanging the word lucky with Waxy. That is how the slang term for lucky became waxy. (According to Yahoo answers)

From a small village in Northern Ireland called County Down to a booming business on the River Walk, Alamo Heights resident Tim Rooney is feeling “Waxy.” He arrived in Florida for a simple vacation in May of 1998. He came to the U.S. to visit some friends and never went back.

A plumber by trade, it didn’t take long for him to decide the U.S. was going to be his home. “I took one look around and called home to Ireland. I said ‘send my stuff because I’m staying.’”

Tim began working as a plumber but shortly after that he started as a bar-back (someone who stocks the bottles behind a bar) and worked his way up at a little Irish pub in Fort Lauderdale called Dicey Riley’s.

Working there he met up with another Irish transplant and together the two of them opened their own Irish pub named Waxy O’Connor’s. “I picked the name because when you hear it everyone knows you are taking about an authentic Irish pub.” Rooney said.

Rooney soon got another partner for the bar named Phil Bentley. While on vacation in San Antonio Bentley noticed a space for lease along the famous San Antonio River Walk. He came back to Florida and told Rooney “We need to open up there.”

After checking it out, Rooney was sold. In 2006, he brought his wife Titti, then pregnant with their son Max, his 11-year-old daughter Michelle, and moved to San Antonio.

The Rooneys were looking for the perfect location to be close enough to the business but to be able to raise their family in a neighborhood setting.

After looking around the answer was clear, the Alamo Heights area would of offer them the best of both worlds. “It is safe and the school district is fantastic. It is a nice quiet place to raise a family.”

On any given night his pub plays hosts to scores of locals, tourists, and celebrities alike. Rooney has served celebrities like Tony Bennett, Sean Astin, and the numerous basketball teams in town to play the Spurs.

On this Saint Patrick’s Day, Rooney considers what it would be like if he hadn’t moved to the U.S. and his pub was in Ireland.

“It would be the same friendliness,” he said. “Our bartenders interact with the customers just like family, just like they do in Ireland.”

Waxy O’Connor’s is located at 243 River Walk. A full menu is offered for lunch or dinner. They have live music nightly and authentic Irish dancing on Saturdays. For more information, call 229-WAXY.