The life of Martin J. Tubridy was the inspiration for Harry Chapin’s hit song “Mr. Tanner.” Story by Pat Fenton “Mr. Tanner was a cleaner from a town in the Midwest. And of all the cleaning shops around he’d made his the best. But he also was a baritone who sang while hanging clothes. HeRead more..
It was January 22 of 2019 and I was standing in this large room at the Time Warner Center in Manhattan. The room overlooked Columbus Circle. There was a cocktail party going on and as I looked around at the guests coming in I could see all these faces that I usually only see onRead more..
Pat Fenton takes us back to an earlier time of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on 17th Street in Prospect Park, Brooklyn when the Irish bars overflowed with families, friends, food, and music. It is a time Pat remembers fondly as he not only celebrated St. Patrick’s Day but also his birthday. Happy St. Patrick’s DayRead more..
A Proclamation on Irish-American Heritage Month, 2021 On Monday March 1, 2021 President Joe Biden proclaimed March as Irish American Heritage Month to honor the achievements and contributions of Irish immigrants and their descendants living in the United States. Irish American Heritage Month was first celebrated by a proclamation in 1991 by President George H.W.Read more..
By Pat Fenton A Christmas Eve memory comes back to me, almost hauntingly in this crazy long night of the Pandemic, the Corona Virus we’re all living through. And it makes me think again of the importance of memory and how it brings us back so faithfully to the way we were. I’m 20 yearsRead more..
An old-time bar in Brooklyn, Farrell’s has served as a community center since the 1930s, and is the last marker of what was once a thriving Irish neighborhood. ℘℘℘ Farrell’s Bar, on the corner of 16th Street and 9th Avenue in Brooklyn, has been in the same location in Windsor Terrace since 1933. It wasRead more..