Serving ale and liverwurst to those who make the Big Apple tick, we take a look inside McSorley’s Old Ale House, New York’s oldest Irish bar.
McSorley’s Old Ale House opened its doors on Manhattan’s East 7th Street back in 1854, making it New York’s oldest Irish bar. Many others have tried to mimic its old-school attitude and its no-nonsense approach, but none come close to the real deal.
But what makes this old pub, with its sawdust-strewn floors, so special? We take a look at the history of McSorley’s, New York’s oldest Irish bar.
A brief history of McSorley’s – New York’s oldest Irish bar
The story of New York’s oldest Irish bar starts back in 1827 when John McSorley was born in County Tyrone. During the Great Famine and at 24, John emigrated to the United States via Liverpool, landing in New York City in 1851.
After settling in the Big Apple, McSorley established a pub, opening the Old House at Home on East 7th Street in Manhattan. In the early 19th century, the Old House at Home came to be known as McSorley’s Old Ale House in honour of its proprietor.
Before his 1910 death, John passed the pub on to his son, Bill, who later sold it to patron and retired police officer, Daniel O’Connell. Upon his death, McSorley’s was managed by his daughter, Dorothy O’Connell Kirwan, and her husband Harry Kirwan.
The pub remained in the Kirwan family until Matthew Maher bought it in 1977. Maher died in 2020, but New York’s oldest Irish bar remains under Maher family ownership today.
“Good Ale, Raw Onions and No Ladies” – a former pub motto
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many pubs in New York were men-only and didn’t allow women to drink in or even enter their premises. McSorley’s was one such place, with its former motto of “Good Ale, Raw Onions and No Ladies”.
This remained the case for New York’s oldest Irish bar until as recently as 1970, when a lawsuit forced McSorley’s to open its doors to women. The New York Times claimed that local leather store owner Barbara Shaum was the first woman to drink in the pub.
It took another 16 years for McSorley’s to finally install a women’s bathroom.
Food and drinks – what’s on offer in New York’s oldest Irish bar
Now, of course, the first thing you want to know about any bar is what’s on offer.
In terms of food, the menu at McSorley’s is not fixed and can be found on a blackboard propped up behind the bar. Expect to find classic favourites like hot dogs, burgers, cheese boards, and liverwurst sandwiches. Simple, yes, but absolutely delicious.
When it comes to drinks, you’ve only got two options at McSorley’s. New York’s oldest Irish bar only serves its own ale that is available in light or dark. In McSorley’s Wonderful Saloon, American writer Joseph Mitchell described the ale’s “rich wax-colour”.
The only time McSorley’s altered its serving practices was during Prohibition in the United States. During this period, the bar served a ‘near beer’, with too low an alcohol content to be outlawed.
The ale comes served in two glasses rather than one, and this remains the case even for water for inebriated patrons!
History on the walls – memorabilia at McSorley’s
The walls of McSorley’s are bedecked with historical and cultural memorabilia that it has amassed throughout the course of its storied history. Some claim that not a single item of paraphernalia on display has been removed since 1910.
A wanted poster for John Wilkes Booth hangs on the wall after he assassinated McSorley’s patron and 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.
The poster is joined in the pub by a pair of handcuffs used by escapologist Harry Houdini and a pair of shackles belonging to a prisoner during the American Civil War.
Perhaps the most touching piece of history in McSorley’s, however, are the wishbones hanging from a light above the bar.
During World War I, McSorley’s offered all US troops a turkey dinner before deployment. It became tradition for the soldiers to leave the turkeys’ wishbones in the pub to be snapped upon their return.
The remaining wishbones serve as a reminder of those who sacrificed their lives.
Notable regulars – who drank in McSorley’s?
As well as regular New York punters, McSorley’s boasts among its clientele a who’s who of American history and culture. Former presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, and the aforementioned Lincoln would visit the pub when in New York.
Many important 20th-century writers would also frequent New York’s oldest Irish bar, including Hunter S. Thompson, Gilbert Sorrentino, Christopher Morley, Paul Blackburn, and, fittingly, Brendan Behan.
McSorley’s has been immortalised in several artworks over the years, including the above-mentioned book by Mitchell, E.E. Cummings’s poem, ‘i was sitting in mcsorleys’, and no fewer than five paintings by John Sloan.
McSorley’s is New York’s oldest Irish bar and its best. Accept no imitations.
Address: 15 E 7th St, New York, NY 10003, United States
NEXT: Read Ireland Before You Die’s article on the top 10 Irish pubs in New York City
