WARNING! The idiot staff will call the police on you if they see you getting into a boat after a few beers. Even told me they're calling the sheriff and sure enough a sheriff pulled me over and I got $340 in fines for not having a charged fire extinguisher, only one horn and my battery terminals not covered up. Most expensive two beers I ever had. It's a good way to lose business. I've told all of my boating friends. Freddie's is a much better place read more

I've been coming here for over 10 years ( actually 20 years since I started coming with my family when I was young and that does not count) Thursday night boat races are the only nights I'll come back now. Weekend nights are getting worse. The trash level has gone up ( is that even possible?!.. I guess so. Eeek!! Dancing cages WtF?!!!! ) and sloppy drunks everywhere. Its only fun if you've been drinking and by that I mean you should have drinks before you even go there to tolerate. I've had my bar tab messed up a FEW time not just one time so I'll only pay cash now. It's been a year since I've got food and it was alright since you can't expect much for a bar in the middle of the water. If a good band is playing it's normally a good time. However I do miss the lower bar since it was a nice get away from the band crowd. Now it's all one level but I understand why they did what they had to do. Only come here if you're planning on partying crazy. Here's your warning if you go sober. A lot of boat parking but need to use two spots sometimes if the water is choppy/ high winds/, your boat will bang around a lot if you don't. read more

This is by far the worst bar I have ever been to in my life. As soon as I walked in with my party we were stared down with such hatred. One member from my party purchased drinks and the bartender, she was so rude and racist and had no emotion at all. Every question was met with such disgust (she was a skinny white lady with dusty blonde hair). We did nothing wrong just wanted to have a good time. There was one heavy set guy that was in charge of identification and the boat. He was the only one from the whole island who was actually nice and understanding we had a situation with bringing beer on and he made sure to talk to the rude bartender and straighten a deal out for us. We wanted to leave because we all agreed that it was really bad. After some convincing of my friend we took the boat ride and the rest of the trip seemed fine. But after what we experienced we were just sour with the whole experience. We called it a night very early on. If you are hispanic like us or just any other race that isn't white please do yourself a favor go somewhere else. Support poc not this hellhole, it doesn't take a genius to see discrimination. What a disgusting place. read more

Way overpriced, way overrated, and most of the time the service just flat out sucks. If you don't have a breasts and a bikini, expect to be waiting for a beverage while those who have them get served at the bar first. The only reason I gave Blarney two stars instead of one is because of some of the good bands they bring out there now and then. read more

maybe i expect too much from people, like speedy service with a smile. didn't get that here from bar maids or the waitresses. don't you want a tip ladies? put on a smile, i don't care, fake it and greet your table at least 5 minutes after the customer sits down. if i could, i would have gone in the back and cooked the food myself. now the fairy guys (guys running the fairy) were really friendly. one of them recommended we order some food at the port to get on the fairy for free. thanks for the tip. the port is not a place i'm itching to get back to, but i'm not ruling it out. read more

This is THE BAR to go to on the chain. It's on its own island, for cryin; out loud! They have bands, a lot of space for dancing and getting fairly drunk, and carp that hang out and eat any kind of food you want to toss them. For fun, toss them a bunch of French fries followed by a cigarette butt. They'll eat the cigarette. Then you're not polluting. It's brilliant. read more

Don't open a tab at the island becuz they can not get anyone's orders correct. Also some bartenders can't even get an order if 2 drinks correct. I went from 2-4 and it was only 2 people and she put it on someone else's bill..... read more

Good place to hang out with friends after a day of boating. An evening here makes for GREAT people-watching if you're used to hanging out in the city. Menu is basically bar food - I've never had anything spectucular, but then, nothing's even been bad, either. The ferry to Blarney's Island leaves Port regularly. read more

Cool little place to check out and listen to live music in the middle of the lake

Blarney Island is worth a trip if you're in the area. I was a little nervous about what to expect given how tacky/gross/ridiculous people on Yelp have claimed it was, but it was a good time without being too trashy. Sure, the bathrooms are a little gross, but it's a bar, so you have to set the bar low. Prices: Drinks: Fairly standard. Plenty of reasonably priced beers on tap, anything better (like a mai tai) will run you $7 or so. Ferry: $8 round trip. Shuttle: They offer a shuttle service (call the Port of Blarney to schedule a pickup) for $5 a head to pick you up if you're local; can seat a dozen people or so. Ask for Lisa. Cover: They do charge cover for bands, so get there earlier if you can. It's actually really nice at sunset! They try and do a lot of theme nights, I've noticed... I've only been on a "normal" night, but memorable themes include: "Pimp 'n Ho Night", "80's Prom", "Blarney Gras". They dub themselves "The Key West of the Midwest". Take that as you will. read more

Love this place lots of fun. .maybe not for everyone. .only boring people get bored so get out there and enjoy. .always a good time and it's not much more pricey than anywhere else that's out in the middle of the chain ,, oh yeah it's the only bar out in the middle of the chain. read more

Came with friend one night on a Saturday towards the end of summer. Took there pontoon boat to the bar which was pretty cool. It was a night with some old country band playing on stage. The crowd was mixed half were in there 20s & 30s while the rest were in there 50s. I was able to get a new beer pretty fast every time up at the bar so I wasn't disappointed on the wait. As they have more then one so service was decent. Only beef was the restrooms were pretty disgusting as most bars have the same problem. Well, I for sure will be back but this time more then once next summer. read more

It isn't very clean at all and the bathrooms were horrendous but we had a fun time. The guys driving the boats were kind of rude as well. If you hate your job that much get a new one. But I'm still giving five stars because I had a good time. Also if your going to the island your drinks will be super expensive. I've been to bars all around the U.S. And in Europe and I literally paid $35 for 4 Vegas bombs in Antioch Illinois! Most I've ever paid for those shots. I thought it was a joke, definitely wasn't. You would have thought I got top shelf tequila. read more

You guys n Girls r killing me! It's Ginger's Island! Ya expect a B'Dha? You out on a boat half naked anyway if not all the way! Ya probly already peed in the the river a few times any way so whats the point? I bet ya hung ur proud Suits up ther! not sure how this working but wanna add info. Ya ever get any History about Blarney n Lake on Tour 2 ther? You rode out in the channel ther, on your left & also behind you are the only Lily Pads in the World that grow there & in Egypt! Very fragile plants that are essential to our eco-system as well. Basically if ya can't hack it in ya a PRISSY GIRL, don't even get on your boyfriends boat! read more

beers. boats. bands. babes. bikinis. so much better since they remodeled. good times! read more

Yeh its a floating bar and everyone seems infatuated with that, but its nothing special. Expect typical Fox Lake service (slow and forgetful) The place gets packed during events and weekend nights. We did take a helicopter ride here for like $50 which was cool. Had some D-Bag security try to charge us $30 to park the boat on the interior docks, when we told him no he said $20 and don't tell anyone. We gave him $10 which he pocketed. read more

this is one of my favorite places to have breakfast on the chain, they have an amazing bloody mary and mimosa's, the patio is dog friendly and the food is great. I would gladly suggest this place to anyone read more

This place ROCKS! New improvements make a huge difference.

Summer - yay! Blarney's Island is one of those places you've got to go to one day; yes for most of you city people, it is a far hike out to never never land, and you'll need to be careful driving home after a day here; but can you imagine anything better? A bar in the middle of a lake, that you can only get to by boat; where it's acceptable to wear a swimsuit and shorts, Partying, listening to music and people watching; the Thursday night boat races - this place is a great time and worthy of a trek out in summer. All types and ages of clientele, all there to have a good time in the sun! read more

This is the coolest place you can eat at on the chain. Even if you don't have a boat you can take t a fairy over. They usually have a DJ or a live band and you always have a good time. The staff is friendly and the food is okay. There's really no other place were you can eat at in the middle of a lake. read more

Cool concept for a bar but the staff made it hard to enjoy the atmosphere. The staff was incredibly rude to me and my friends, when we would ask a question regarding the boat we were answered with attitude. Then as we proceeded to the bar the bartender ignored us and then approached us saying he didn't have time to serve us if we all don't use one card to pay for drinks and leave it open. Then when I received my drink it was only Pepsi no alcohol. Overall WORST bar experience of my life. Never coming back. read more

Not my cup of tea...However I highly Recommend doing the pitchers of beer for $15 over everything else. Poor entertainment. Rude DJ's. A lot of debauchery and drunken busted people galore. We even saw a really messy fight between of bunch of dumb kids just 4 feet from our table. That's Blarney Island for yah. The ride is nice and relaxing going to and from the island but It's the folks that kinda kill the whole experience for me. read more

A go to place in McKenry. We love this place. Great live entertainment and atmosphere.

Just a couple of weeks ago I was up in the area and the Island was not opened yet, so we ate at the main location. A ton of super drunk guys in the early afternoon was kind of a bummer - meaning I had to watch out over my shoulder because they were almost breathing down my neck. The food and service was great though, hope to get back there soon! read more

Very good place, especially in the summer time. Alot of fun and drinks are good. I like it because when your out on the water you can just pull right in and enjoy! Great place. read more

Love Blarneys especially when boating, lots of fun but the best part is when they have live bands, last year I went to 3 different concerts and it was packed with great people, great music, and above all Great DRINKS!!! another MUST GO HERE!!! read more

When you order food at the "Port", check out the specials. I've had some great meals there. In fact, they used to have a meatloaf dinner to die for. Don't order appetizers and expect a cup of soup and salad to come with it. read more

I had fun the night I was there, but not because of the place. Crowd of amateurs (referred to as the cast of Jersey Shore by someone in my group), high priced drinks, lame DJ, poor selection of alcohols, mediocre band, staff was nice to me, hence the 2 stars. If this is the "Key West of the Midwest", I sure hope the real Key West isn't this lame. For my money, I'm going where the pros go....Bourbon Street. This was my first trip to the island and will probably be my last. Just wasn't impressed. read more

First time After almost 30 years. My girlfriend and I enjoyed it very much, much more professionally run from what I can remember but still keeping to the "Key West" experience. Reasonable priced drinks and the food remarkably good. read more

This is my go to place on Thursday nights during the summer. The boat races are a thing to behold and gets your adrenaline going even though you're only spectating. Great atmosphere, fun times and live bands finish off the night. read more

I actually came here last weekend on a Sunday. Not too crowded. People were nice, food was very good. Alcohol was a little overpriced but we only stayed an 1 hour but it was fun. read more

Purchased tickets online from Ticket Master and was still charged 20/per person. On the island I was told I need to address this back at the bar. When asked what time the bar closes they said "no later than 11pm for ticket sales" So pretty much arrived at 9pm, took the boat to the island and had to turn right back to dispute the charges. Was not a huge loss however, the event was a bust and horrible! DJ where awful, environment is not meant to be a EDM fest, more of a local live band venue. And to charge Downtown Chicago prices for drinks was outrageous! Plz keep this business open for local live band and not advertise as an EDM venue. Don't offer online sales if the staff has no idea about it. After attending this place many times before, I was extremely disappointed. Please do better in your decision making Blarney. read more

Absolutely insane to make people wait 30 in the rain for the shuttle. They would not give out numbers to save your spot to get on the next shuttle. I will never come here again. 1 hour to get here and 1 hour wait to get back read more

this place is awesome for a girls night out! Lots of good lookikng men and great music. It was a bit cold getting out there on the shuttle but worth it. The drinks are priced right and tghe food is good. Try the wings! There was an awesome band there also. you can also leave your bra! read more

My wife and I stopped here to get dinner on a Friday night, after driving by numerous times on motorcycle rides. The menu on their website looked pretty good, and it was "Fish Fry Fridays', we also happened to have a $15 restaurant.com certificate for here as well. It was about 8pm on a Friday night when we arrived, the outside patio was a little stripped down as the weather was cooler but there were a few folks outside. We walked to the back area which was the most well lit, to find that all the doors were accessible only from the inside. We found an entrance and walked in to what you could describe as a very poorly lit dive bar with a bunch of folks crowded around the bar. No one even acknowledged us and we saw there was another part to the building so we thought maybe this was more of a bar/lounge area and the dining was up front. We entered the other door only to find a very similar situation- a bunch of people at the bar, tables scattered- half set, some had no chairs, some only a few. Like another review on here there was a sign that said "wait to be seated" - but no one ever acknowledged us to any degree. A young man walked by who looked to be a bar back or bus boy, and he too said nothing. After about 10 mins of standing around we decided that this wasn't a place for us. (A factor in that decision was a previous yelp review with the same experience, and they waited 1 hr for their food- thanks yelpers!). I cant speak for the food because we never got to try it. But from the standpoint of the atmosphere and service, I cant say it is a place that I would be inclined to eat at. Maybe if you are a local or just want to stop in for a drink its better. Bottom line is we had a $15 gift certificate to use here and we chose to walk instead of use it, and we wont be returning again. read more

Don't waste your time here. They offer VIP and it means nothing. You get no special treatment and pay extra money; it's a waste of time. Don't do it. read more

I will agree with other reviews that the biggest downfall for this venue is the transportation to and from the island. Other times I've been there, I came with friends on their boat, so that allowed us to come and go as we pleased. This past weekend, there was a "slow no wake" order due to high water and flooding, so we decided to try out the Blarney boat shuttle, rather than taking a painfully slow pontoon boat ride from our friend's condo. The website said that boats ran every 30 minutes, so even though we were disappointed to see a shuttle boat pull out as we arrived, we figured it wouldn't be a bad wait. We noticed that there was another shuttle boat docked there, but no one was running that boat. So on a sunny Saturday in June, when Blarney was hosting a "Key West Fest", and essentially the ONLY way to get to the island was via the shuttle, they decided to only run ONE shuttle boat?? We bought our tickets on line, and we overheard the bartenders tell anther guest that we didn't need to wait in line on the dock, "just hang out and wait for the next boat". So we enjoyed a few beverages and wandered down to the dock when the boat was returning for the next trip. We noticed some rude people cutting ahead of us in line, but it looked like there was plenty of standing room on the boat, so we decided not to make a scene - until the captain cut off the passenger line well ahead of us and told us it would be another 40 minutes before he returned again! We had driven down from Wisconsin to see a favorite local band, and by now we knew we might miss most of their show! Why pay bands and hold special events, and not make plans to bring as many people as possible out to enjoy the show, and buy your food and beverages?? After sharing our disgust over the entire situation, we took matters into our own hands and went to get our friend's boat. We only got to see a short portion of the great band because of the slow boat ride, but at least we didn't have to rely on the Blarney Shuttle, or we might have missed the show completely. Too bad, because there sure weren't many people there, considering that this was a special event! We did enjoy the venue and the music, once we got there, and there was plenty of room for dancing. My suggestion would be to assign numbers as shuttle riders arrive, and then board the shuttle boat by those numbers. Then you will know if you will fit on the next boat or not (maybe a loudspeaker announcing the arrival of each boat?). Also, make the website clearer about the shuttle time schedule, and that boarding is first come first served (if they don't take my previous suggestion). read more

This place is an absolute blast for everyone of all ages with totally appropriate mottos "a mile from reality" and "beer, boats, and babes". As I look out at the quiet moon lighted lake amidst the blaring music on a hot summer night, I think to myself "am I still in Illinois?" This place is even great for the wallflower because this is the best people watching in the midwest as this place welcomes everyone from young, old, married, single, jocks, burnouts, fat, thin, ugly, beautiful, toothed, and toothless. I have seen drunk 23 year olds making out with drunk 55 year old women, but "what happens at Blarney's stays at Blarney's". I have been going there for almost 10 years and it has always been a great time. Everyone respects everyone and it is laid back and unpretentious - a great place to kick back, let down your hair, or for some to even take out their teeth and take off their toupees. It has an incredibly well trained, and friendly staff who all enjoy working there and even the bouncers are cool. The older boating crowd is usually there all day until 10pm until the younger crowd comes in. The music varies from Country, metal, alternative, rock, etc. The best cover party band in the Midwest - Modern Day Romeos plays up there several times a year. They even filmed "Girl's Gone Wild" there 2 years ago - no crazy nudity though, because Lake County Sheriff had the place staked out with uc officers and surrounded by officers on wave runners. On the downside, they started advertising on local radio stations a few years ago, and I don't know if I am getting older, but I have noticed an increasingly disproproportionate percentage of younger people in the last couple of years. With the increasing younger crowd, I have noticed a lot more fights breaking out among 23 year old drunks who can't handle their alcohol. The fights are always broken up quickly and the moron redneck from Wisconsin or the meathead from the Chicago burbs are carried out and tossed on the next departing shuttle boat and the party continues! Blarney's Island was so successful for years by word of mouth, because this place transcended age and everyone felt welcomed here. I just hope the owners keep the successful balance and not turn it into a college bar. Here is some helpful advice for those moron 23 year old meatheads who have to start fights when they can't get laid. If you are the easily frustrated type when you see your competition in an 80% guy to 20% girl setting, then this place is not for you, unless you enjoy spending the rest of the weekend at the Lake County Jail being your cellmate's wife until a judge approves you for bond on Monday morning. And lastly, here are some answers to questions commonly asked throughout the night by the drunk 23 year old meathead: 1) No, They won't let you drink right from the tap 2) No, The hot waitresses and bartenders will not make out with you. 3) No, The hot married woman will not take you back to the family boat to let you "do her" while her husband goes to use the washroom. 4) No, The girl you are trying to dance with on the dance floor will not let you "do her" on the Blarney's shuttle boat that brought you here. 5) No, You can't kick all the bouncer's asses. 6) No, the County jail is not located on the island, it is in Waukegan read more

I've been to blarneys island several times and its usually a good time , me and 15 of my friends were there this past weekend and it definitely was NOT fun our friend wanted us to do this wristband package because it was her birthday it was $35 for three hours all u can drink draft beer and wine including the ferry ride and discounted shots and mixed drinks (approx $1.50-$2 each) sounded like a great deal but it was THE WORST it was like the wristbands were a plague the bartenders WOULD NOT serve us we had to wait at least 30 min each time we went up to the bar the bartenders would walk right past serving everyone else first (and it was definitely not a crowded night) by the end of the night the bartender was overcharging for the discounted drinks we were supposed to be getting and not giving ANYONE change so if it was $10 and we gave him a $20 he was keeping all the change between all of us we spend almost $800 and to not be served is ridiculous he was trying to confuse us and charging a different price for drinks even though we were ordering the same thing every time I would highly suggest NOT getting the package it's a scam and def not worth the money I would maybe go back but would definitely not get this package EVER again read more

I was meeting up with some friends on Fox Lake and had them pick me up at Port of Blarney. After eating a quick bite I went out to the dock to meet them. A large, bald man started yelling at us as they were pulling up that it was 10 dollars to park (dock) there....huh? No sign said that. We thought he was kidding. We didn't dock, I literally just jumped on the boat. Then he said he was going to have my car towed and I could pay 143 dollars instead!!! I offered to pay immediately, explaining I thought he was kidding. He said it was too late. He was such a jerk. No other places on the chain of lakes charge you 10 dollars to "park"! I had already paid for food and we were going out to Blarney Island where we were going to spend more money!!! The guy had a big power trip thing happening. Relax man, try to communicate a little better and not cause patrons who want to spend money where you work to tell all the friends not to go there!!! Blarney Island was just OK. Lots or drunk guys who wanted to take their clothes off. Meh. Our waitress was really nice and the band was decent. Drinks were so-so. read more