East Side Street To Bear Name Of Beloved Bar Owner Jimmy Neary

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A street near Sutton Place will soon bear the name of the beloved former owner of a neighborhood pub.

The corner of East 57th Street and First Avenue will become known as Jimmy Neary Way under a bill expected to be passed by the City Council on Thursday, which will also "co-name" more than 70 other streets around the city.

Neary, who died in October at age 91, was the namesake owner of Neary's, which he founded in 1967 near the same corner of East 57th Street — more than a decade after he boarded a ship to the U.S. from his native Ireland.

Over the ensuing half-century, it became known as a popular watering hole for the city's power brokers, with customers including Bill Clinton, mayors Michael Bloomberg and Ed Koch, governors George Pataki and Hugh Carey, and Senator Ted Kennedy.

"He came here as a hardworking immigrant, and established a pub with political and cultural significance recognized citywide and beyond," reads a description submitted by City Councilmember Julie Menin in support of the co-naming.

Raised in Sligo, in the north of Ireland, Neary bought his boat ticket to America at the age of 24 using winnings from a poker game, according to his New York Times obituary. soon after his arrival, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and deployed to Germany before returning to New York and becoming a bartender at Moriarty's.

He opened Neary's alongside fellow bartender Brian Mulligan, who stayed a partner in the enterprise until his own death decades later, the Times reported.

Besides his popular bar, Neary became "a significant figure in his own right," according to Menin's office — he became a character in multiple novels by the author Mary Higgins Clark, was bestowed two Super Bowl rings by New York Giants owner Timothy Mara, and hosted New Year's Eve celebrations with then-Mayor Bloomberg.

"East 57th is an iconic street with a storied past, reflecting the best of New York. Jimmy Neary embodies those same traits," said Neary's daughter, Una, in a statement.

"Just as East 57th street is a symbol of the best New York has to offer, so too was Jimmy Neary and Neary’s Restaurant, reflecting the values of community and customer service, hard work, honesty, integrity, family and faith," added Una, who now oversees the business. "The Neary family is deeply humbled by this great honor for our extraordinary father, Jimmy."

A formal co-naming ceremony will be held this fall, according to Menin's office.