"My guess is that the commissioners will listen, but they won't change their decision," Scali said.

But Lawler, a silent partner to Blair, didn't seem to be fazed by his experience with Cambridge's byzantine bureaucracy.

Lawler handled the dispute this week while Blair was on a honeymoon and said that if the board rejects the name for a second time, he and his partner will happily find another moniker.

But the jocular Dubliner did seem surprised by the backlash caused by a simple name change. "So what do they want us do?" he demanded. "Put up a sign that says Da Bar?"

Da New Bar

Managing a bar may seem like a straightforward enterprise, but don't tell that to Lawler.

The Irish citizen said that he doesn't have much experience behind the bar but is clear about his philosophy.

"What I know about the bar business, you could put on the back of a small stamp... but I have 30 years experience on this side of the counter," he said, as he sipped a frothy pint earlier this week.

Lawler said that his bar--whatever the name turns out to be--will have a very strong Irish influence.

"We want to introduce the type of place where you come in, sit down and have a drink," he said. "You'll never see a band here."