May 10, 2008: Vol. 31, No. 19

Mooney’s pub has lost its fight to stay in its Flatbush Avenue home and will close for good by the end of June.

The early summer closing ends months of legal fighting about the future of the old man bar, famous for its St. Patty’s Day corned beef.

Owner Kevin Mooney had been mired in conflict since October when his landlord, Lina Fang, tried to evict her long-term tenant, who has not had a lease in 15 years.

The warring parties settled out of court, with a judge forging a compromise to allow Mooney’s to stay until June.

Rather than relocate, Mooney, who is 72, is quietly winding down the 20-year-old watering hole without much fanfare (his bar of the same name in Bay Ridge will live on.)

Mooney didn’t return several calls for comment and was never in the bar when The Brooklyn Paper dropped in (and it did repeatedly). His son said his reticence was typical.

“He’s a very proud person, so outwardly he wouldn’t show” how disappointed he was, said Patrick Mooney.

Regulars said Mooney’s had an indefinable quality that newer, hipper bars in the neighborhood lacked.

“It’s like having drinks in someone else’s living room, said “Jerry.” (There was an epidemic of shyness at the bar, as all drinkers refused to share their full names with The Brooklyn Paper.)

“This is probably the only place with a crowd from 21 to 70 years old,” Jerry added.

Now that Mooney’s has been priced out, and there’s a wrecking ball destined to demolish Freddy’s on Dean Street to make way for Atlantic Yards, it’s getting tougher and tougher to find a decent boozing environment.

“It’s like they ripped out the heart and soul of the neighborhood,” said another barfly, “D.”

©2008 The Brooklyn Paper