Jimmy Neary, A 50-Year Fixture On NY's Restaurant Scene, Dies

NEW YORK CITY —Famed and beloved restaurateur Jimmy Neary has died, family members confirmed Saturday. Neary was 91.

According to the website Irish Central, Neary —who had welcomed political and religious dignitaries as well as stars and the writing intelligentsia to his watering hole —worked until just days before he died in his sleep over the weekend.

In the competitive constellation of New York eateries, his pub, which was called simply Neary's, was one of the city's brightest stars, and a mainstay since opening in 1967 on St. Patrick's Day at East 57th Street and First Avenue.

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Just for context, America had recently gone through "the Summer of Love" that debuted the hippie movement, Robert F. Kennedy was a New York Senator and the Beatles would make four more albums before splitting.

In his heyday, Neary was a ubiquitous presence at his pub, serving up equal portions of charm and the restaurant's signature lamb chops. Over time, the venue was also hailed for its annual Sept. 14 "surprise party."

Neary was a native of Sligo, Ireland, but became known as one of the city's quintessential New Yorkers. While the pub, like so many New York eateries, was padlocked during the pandemic, Neary never lost faith that his place and the city were headed for a rebound.

And sure enough, Neary's reopened to the public in April.