A memorial to longtime bartender Noel Ryan inside the Dublin House. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
They shed a tear. They raised a glass. They rooted Chelsea Football Club to a 1-1 draw in a friendly match vs. Inter Milan.
At the Dublin House Irish pub and restaurant Sunday, friends and loved ones gathered to honor and mourn longtime bartender Thomas “Noel” Ryan, who passed away suddenly at Sandy Hook beach last Monday, August 5, according to his obituary. He was 72.
Friends of longtime Dublin House bartender Noel Ryan dressed in the favorite colors of his favorite soccer team, Chelsea FC. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
Many of those gathered dressed in Chelsea Football Club blue, celebrating his life in a way they said he would have loved: rooting on his favorite Premier League team, shouldering up to the bar where he served up smiles along with pints for 17 years.
“Majestic, calming, just an incredible energy to be around,” is how Dublin House co-owner and executive chef Conor Powell described Ryan.
“An amazing human being,’’ he added. “Never had a bad day. At this stage his shoulder must have caved in, because a lot of people leaned on it. He was uplifting. His light has dimmed but has not gone out.”
Born in 1951 in Pallasgreen, Co. Limerick, Ireland, Ryan studied at University College Galway before moving to the United States in 1971, where he quickly found his vocation pouring pints in the Irish pubs of New York. There, he met his wife Margaret Bonner. The two were married 49 years and lived in Atlantic Highlands.
Asked what he’ll remember most, Dublin House bartender Brandon Zenner replied: “His attitude. I’ve neer seen him in a bad mood. He was very good at getting everybody around him also in a good mood. He generally loved working here because of the friendships, he loved listening to stories and telling stories.”
A memorial service is planned for Wednesday, August 21 from 4-6 pm at Posten-McGinley Funeral Home in Atlantic Highlands, followed by a celebration of his life at the Dublin House.
More information and a full obituary can be found here.
Editor Brian Donohue may be reached at [email protected] or (848) 331-8331.
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