Sunset Park’s iconic Irish Haven pub rolled back time and prices to 1964 on Oct. 19, as patrons celebrated its 60th anniversary with 50-cent draft beers.
The beloved Fourth Avenue bar, which has stood as a neighborhood staple since it first opened under the late Frank Lawler, drew crowds from early afternoon well into the evening with ten hours of live music on Saturday.
Both longtime regulars and new visitors were treated to traditional Irish fare, including fish and chips from the Dublin Bay food cart parked outside, as well as shepherd’s pie from Bay Ridge’s Greenhouse Café.
While the prices for a pint may have shifted dramatically over the decades, the pub’s atmosphere remains largely unchanged, retaining the charm and character that Lawler fostered until his death in 2005.
Since 2011, the Irish Haven has been run by Matt Hogan, alongside business partners Mike and Maureen Collins. Hogan, a longtime customer of the bar before taking over, said that preserving the essence of the Haven was a priority from the start. He knew that to preserve the essence he loved, it would have to remain untouched, “the extension of a living room.”
“I saw an opportunity to sort of save something I loved and also maybe put some small tweaks into it and keep it relevant, and keep it fun for the people in the neighborhood,” said Hogan, noting that the floors are still original but his introduction of regular live music means the tiles see a lot more action.
“I’ve always believed that you can’t buy old,” he added, describing the bar’s genuine, unpolished character, devoid of Irish-themed gimmicks, as a key factor in its ongoing popularity.
“The word that I hear tossed around is ‘real or ‘authentic,’ and that’s something that people are looking for that they don’t find elsewhere,” Hogan continued. “A lot of places feel like the Restoration Hardware version of bars. But at the Haven, people are surprised — and in a good way — that it feels real, like it’s been the same since 1964, even with modern updates.”
In addition to adding live music, Hogan has kept the pub up-to-date with a social media presence, trivia nights, karaoke, and themed events. Despite these changes, the Irish Haven retains its old-school charm, even attracting attention from Hollywood. The pub served as the backdrop for several scenes in Martin Scorsese’s 2006 Oscar-winning film The Departed, though the film is set in Boston.
“People will come into the Haven looking the set of that movie, and to see Frank Costello sitting at the bar, and I think they’re shocked to find out that it’s very much the same as it was in that movie,” said Hogan, who plans to keep it that way for the next sixty years. Memorabilia from the film, including an autographed shirt from Scorsese and the cast, are tucked among the bar’s decor.
As the Irish Haven moves forward, Hogan is committed to preserving its legacy for future generations. “My goal is to keep the Haven as I found it 20 years ago,” he said. “What drew me in as a customer back then is what I hope keeps people coming through the doors for the next 60 years.”
