The Building which now is home to the Celtic Ray was built in 1924 by the Chadwick Brothers. It was originally constructed as an office and storage facility with a gas station on its perimeter corner. Earl Farr was an early tenant as was D. S. Smoak, who became one of Punta Gorda’s mayors.
Later on the building was converted to restaurant/bar space and was the Trailer Bar for a long time through 1950s into the 1970s. For a time it was also the Sandbar Sandwich Cove and prior to Kevin Doyle’s purchase in 1997 the Parrothead Cafe.
Doyle purchased the rundown establishment and converted it to an Irish pub, first just the one building that had been the Trailer Bar and filling station, and later after Hurricane Charley, the larger building styling it like a Dublin pub with alcove. After some bumpy periods especially during the housing crisis when Doyle lost the place for awhile, the Ray was back and Doyle has been expanding ever since now to include a large outdoor beer garden.
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