What's in a name? A lot, if the name is Skellig. For anyone who has visited the Skellig Bar and Restaurant -- the newest addition to Waltham nightlife -- the name evokes images of frivolous merrymaking, an evening's relaxation and Ireland.

This Irish pub, which feted its grand opening last Monday night with an evening consecrated to "celebrating fine traditional food, music and drink," as the pub's motto declares, might turn out to be just the bastion of quality entertainment that Waltham so desperately needs.

Located at 240 Moody Street, caddy corner to Asian Grill, there is more to this establishment than first meets the eye. In fact, The Skellig's facade is completely misleading. The restaurant, with its crimson, hunter and gilded exterior -- along with its completely bizarre name -- seems hospitable and inviting to the frigid winter pedestrian, yet oddly forbidding to the young college student aesthetic.

It seems like it would be the kind of place where people sit in booths with their heads leaning toward one another over candle-lit tables, speaking in hushed tones and consuming steamy, filling dishes and thick red wine. The people here would probably be old. Think Frank Sinatra.

Really, The Skellig is not at all like that. It is neither warm nor homey in the slightest, but it is fun and youthful. You walk in to find the music of an Irish fiddle and boisterous conversation. The decor is very casual throughout, with framed, Irish-themed posters and photos adorning the walls, and with black, painted wooden booths and tables.

The interior is immense, boasting three large rooms. The front room houses a bar, dining and seating areas, and traditional Irish and North American music, played live every evening by a variety of local artists. The back of this room opens onto another small dining area, which leads to yet another great room. In this large back room, there is yet another bar, just as large as the one in the front room. There are also some booths and tables, and in the far corner, there is an unassuming little stage.

This stage is the basis of The Skellig's appeal. You see, The Skellig is owned and operated by two Irish musicians, Tommy McCarthy and Louise Costello, whose dream it was to open an establishment that would bring folks together to enjoy traditional and local music.

McCarthy and Costello's first venture, The Burren, is located in Davis Square, and has been operating since 1996 as a bar, restaurant and music venue. Due to the success of The Burren (whose name is derived from a limestone expanse in Ireland's County Clare), McCarthy and Costello decided to expand their enterprise to the Waltham area. The recent opening of The Skellig -- also named after one of Ireland's geological wonders, a set of small, rocky islands off the coast of County Kerry -- promises to deliver quality food, drink and entertainment to a neighborhood in which this kind of livliness and entertainment is sorely missing.

Although the kitchen wasn't in service during the evening of the grand opening celebration, I was told that the food is hearty and of good quality. Under normal operating hours, The Skellig is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 9:45 p.m., and features reasonably priced and seemingly wholesome entrees ($7 - $13 for dinner). Unique menu items include poached salmon and potatoe (sic) cakes ($6.95), shepards (sic) pie ($9.50), bangers and mash (Irish sausage and mashed potatoes) ($6.95) and a portabella mushroom sandwich ($7.95).

More impressive than the food is the vast selection of draft and bottled beers that The Skellig offers. There are 18 varieties of beer and three hard ciders on tap ($4 per draft), and over 20 bottled beverages to complement the draft selections.

Most importantly, though, the music at the grand opening celebration gave a taste of what we can expect from The Skellig's main stage.

The first act of the evening was a decent rhythm and blues band called Bobby Pierce and Hard Time. They are not on The Skellig's regular schedule of musicians, but if each of the bands that the club brings in is as good as this one, the nightly entertainment promises to be quite decent.

Directly after Bobby Pierce played, Tom Bianchi, a local bassist, performed solo. Bianchi, who has a standing gig at The Skellig for Wednesday nights (hint, hint), is the best performer that I have seen in a very long time. He is both musically solid and legitimately witty, with the charisma of a born performer. He is a wellspring of good music and good laughs, and is more than worth seeing.

After Bianchi, a young guitarist named Hugh McGowan performed (but alas, it was past this reporter's bed time). Every Monday, McGowan will host an open-mic night, giving all of you aspiring musicians 16 minutes each to take the stage. Sign-ups for the evening beging at 7 pm.

Moreover, The Skellig has designated Thursdays "Bentley and Brandeis College Night," and plans to have bands from the two schools provide entertainment every week.

But, caveat emptor: The Skellig is officially a bar, and consequently, anyone under 21 cannot attend, even for the music, under normal circumstances. The bouncers told me, however, that if someone were to eat dinner there, they would not necessarily be forced to leave when the music started.