End of an Era

The PubScout is in a state of mourning tonight.

A venerable and favorite pub--Foley's in NYC--is closing its red doors for good, according to owner Shaun Clancy

Read all about it here.

The many hours I've spent in Clancy's bar eating, quaffing and laughing with friends, family--and the occasional dignitary (like Jim Koch, below) are fond memories I will treasure forever.

I'll also never forget Shaun Clancy's kindness in sponsoring a fundraiser for my son who was in End Stage Renal Failure in 2015. The money Shaun helped us raise was critical to saving his life, and we will never forget Shaun's gesture.

Nor will I or anyone else who met Shaun Clancy forget his larger-than-life presence. Bluff, hearty, quick-witted, droll (and still ardently opposed to the singing of Danny Boy in his pub), once you met him, you knew he was sui generis. Look that up if you need to.

With the closing of Foley's, I'm reminded of Robert Frost's classic poem...

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower,

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf,

So Eden sank to grief,

And Dawn goes down to Day...

Nothing gold can stay.

Foley's Pub--and the guy who owned and ran it--were 24 karat gold, and that caliber of gold cannot easily be replaced.

So thanks for the golden memories, Shaun Clancy.

But mostly, thanks for being you. Slainté!

Cheers!

The Original PubScout--immersed in the craft beer scene since 1996

As always, feel free to share!