It’s the end of an era for Hoboken.
Alright, so maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement – let’s just say it’s the end of an era for the bar.
Aw, who am I kidding – anyone who knows will tell you it’s not like he’s ever around that much anyhow, so I guess it’s really no big deal.
Nevertheless, Padraig "Podge" Hennessy, owner of Duffy’s (239 Bloomfield St., Hoboken), is hanging up his bar apron for good at the end of this month and returning home to his native Ireland. He’s done suckling from the teat of the American Dream and
has decided to take all his hard-earned green back to the Emerald Isle, where it’s worth less and you spend more.
He’s never said for sure what’s finally sending him back home after all these years, but speculation is that he’s worried about his 14-month-old son growing up with a New Jersey accent. Rumor has it the kid’s first words were, "Yo’, ma," so he and his lovely wife Caitriona are pulling him out of here before he starts saying "youse" or "fuhgetaboutit" and taking him back to Ireland, where they can tayche ‘im ‘ow ta spayke
proper bleedin’ English, fer f**ksake. Whether or not that’s really the reason, I don’t know.
Maybe he just prefers the golf over there (he’s played enough here to be able to compare) and he’s tired of coming up with excuses to go back over for another round. Maybe he’s tired of taking so many vacations all the time and just wants to go to the place where he takes most of his vacations. Or maybe he’s tired of the people that work with him busting his stones over all the vacations he takes.
Whatever it is that’s bringing him home, he’s still not getting out of here that easily. This Thursday, Dec. 11, Podge is coming on as a "guest bartender" at his own bar. From 4-10 p.m., Mr. Hennessy is serving one last shift behind the wood – suffering the
slings and arrows of outrageous customers and getting one last taste of why it’s a good idea to get out of the bar business.
It should be a good night, and it’ll be interesting to see whether or not the boss man still knows his way around back there. Since opening The Merchant (279 Grove St., Jersey City) a year and a half ago and welcoming the wee one into the world, Hennessy hasn’t
spent much time, if any, working the bar. Plus, with all the golf and vacations, he’s been too busy to deal with the mind-numbing gauntlet of bartending. Any of you familiar with my, shall we say, less-than-amiable demeanor when dealing with pushy patrons, I can assure you I learned from the best of them. Get there early and enjoy the show – it should be a good one.
Now for the sentimental rubbish…
Over the past six-plus years of hanging out at Duffy’s I’ve gotten to know Hennessy very well, and over the past five plus years of working there he has been not only a terrific boss but a good friend. I wish him the best of luck in his new endeavors and hope he takes plenty of those vacations back here visiting the family of friends he’s cultivated over the years.
And in case any of you are worried about the fate of Duffy’s, I can assure you business there will go on as usual. It’ll be like nothing changed. Like I said – it’s not like he’s ever around that much anyhow.
Good luck, ye bollocks.
If you know how I can effectively waste $50 in the Metro area, please write
to:
"Hal Wastes His Wages"
c/o The Hudson Current
1400 Washington Street
Hoboken, New Jersey 07030
or e-mail c_halleron@yahoo.com