By Anton K. Nilsson
At McDwyer’s Pub on East 204th Street, time passes slowly. Little has changed in this old-school Irish bar since it opened in 1966. It comes off as the Bronx’s own McSorley’s Old Ale House in Manhattan’s East Village, only with relics from the entire second half of the 20th century instead of the 1800s. Eighties sports memorabilia—showing support for The Rangers, The Mets, and The Yankees—line the walls. A poster from the 1980 Winter Olympics, depicting the U.S hockey team’s victory over the Soviet Union, reads, “4 to 3—An American Dream.”
The owner is Eamonn McDwyer, and he’s a familiar face at the bar. Serving as the morning to afternoon barkeep, McDwyer can still be the one greeting you from behind the bar after 48 years.
McDwyer says his family thinks he shouldn’t continue to work. Indeed, he has begun thinking of retiring. Most likely, it will happen in one and a half years, when the pub reaches its 50th anniversary. “I will retire after that,” McDwyer said with a smile. “If I’m alive by then.”
In a pinstripe dress shirt, tie, and suspenders, the 77-year old gives off the friendly but fierce vibe one expects from a bartender of the old variety. He will yell at a delivery man for leaving the back door open, or answer the phone with five consecutive yells of “Hello?” followed by “What do you want?”—and the next minute, turn around to an old regular and offer a Budweiser on the house.
Work keeps him young, McDwyer said. “It’s what gets me up in the morning. Just keep going, keep going, never give up,” he said. “Never throw in the towel.”
At 8 a.m. each day, McDwyer opens up the bar and welcomes a trickle of graveyard shift workers who come to enjoy “a few cocktails” before hitting the sack. Scotch on the rocks, vodka with orange juice, and beer-and-a-shot are the most popular drink choices of the nightshift crowd. The customers who show up during the day, or on weekend nights, usually enjoy a game of pool with their drink. Others play the pinball machine or watch a sports game on one of the bar’s ten TV sets.
After 48 years behind the bar, McDwyer naturally has some stories to tell. Once, in 2001, he was held up at gunpoint by a couple of burglars. “I attacked the man who held the gun and lost my glasses in the tussle. When I ran for the door, there was a woman there who was blocking it. I got her in an arm-lock and said to the man, ‘Shoot now, you bastard!’ He shot me right in the shoulder and said, ‘The next one will be in your head.’”
The couple made off with $2000. The woman was brought to court, but McDwyer’s testimony against her did not hold up. “Her attorney argued that since I lost my glasses, I couldn’t positively identify her,” McDwyer said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Bainbridge Avenue used to be the city’s foremost barhopping streak, McDwyer recounted proudly. “If an Irishman arrived to New York by plane and someone asked him, ‘Where to?,’ he would answer, ‘Bainbridge.’” McDwyer can recall dozens of Irish bars that used to be his competitors, but which have now closed.
“Fiona’s, Artie Smith’s, the Village Pub, the Phoenix, Mill Town,” said McDwyer, counting with his fingers. The list goes on.
McDwyer stays in business thanks to his persistence and hard work, as well as a loyal clientele. “People are thirsty. But I wish they were thirstier,” he said.
admin
Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
English
Arabic
Bengali
Chinese (Simplified)
French
Spanish
I used to drink there before he bought it. It was the Gay Dome. Great bartender- Denis O’Connor. When it was sold they tore out the comfortable booths and it was never the same.
Dennis oconnor from limerick? That was my grandfather
Use to live down the street from the Gay Dome.
I too had a few drinks there when I got out of the Air Force in 1965.
A very Hard working man I use to live up the block on Hull ave been in a good few times,Eddie gave me a PT job there I played softball there early 70s Good Luck to him he a good man.
I said to Eddie there’s a fly in my glass of beer he goes ” dhat be a 50 cents extra “
Many good memories in McDwyers. I’ll stop down soon with my Brother Ed. He actually brought yu up last week. Happy Thanksgiving
I was there after many a softball game, always a good time. Good Luck Mr. McDwyer🍻🍻
Was that the bar with the windmill over it, or am I thinking of a different bar?
The bar with the windmill over it was the Blackthorn…and down the street on the other side at the corner was Gorman’s bar, also on 204th St at that time was The Widow’s Walk and Kelly’s bar….further up was Leddy’s bar and The Gay Dome McDwyer’s bar on the corner of 204th and Hull. Tommy Mc Gonagle was the barman at the time i went there.
Ed is great. I met Ed when he had just opened the Gay Dome (no fags allowed). I worked part-time across the street in Grand Union. I eventually lived in the apartment right above him when the Hull Avenue bar had a fire.
He hired me part-time when I was laid off from the NYPD in 1975. He’s a great man and a wonderful person. He’s also a living legend.
His bar was a great hangout for Irish immigrants and 204th Street locals.