Upper East Side bar The Banshee Pub is closing this weekend. (The culprit, as in so many recent bar closings: the end of the lease).
The neighborhood pub serves a vital role in a community, acting as a gathering point for folks to meet and mingle, and make new friendships that can last a lifetime. The owners Gene Lennon and Billy Ferguson totally got that. They make their pubs an extension of your living room, which for many city apartment dwellers, it is. This was one of my regular hang-out spots when I lived in the neighborhood, and I cannot even count the number of friendships I have made as a direct result of time spent in this place. They even let me guest bartend a few times over the years.
You can celebrate/commiserate one last time this weekend. There is a closing night party tonight (Saturday, May 12) and they will be open for farewell on Sunday, May 13. After that, be sure to visit their two other excellent UES Irish pubs: Trinity Pub and The Gael Pub.
As posted on the Banshee’s facebook page:
Hello dear friends and patrons of The Banshee Pub.
It saddens me to announce that our beloved Banshee will close her doors after 17 wonderful years. We were unable to secure a new lease with our landlord & therefore must leave. We fought him hard for the last year and a half but to no avail.We would like to take this opportunity to thank you one and all for the tremendous support you have shown us over the years. We made a lot of great friends & amazing memories and hope we can all stay in touch through our sister pubs Trinity & Gael. This is our last weekend & hope you can swing by for a farewell drink at your favorite watering hole.
Gene,Billy, Conall, Ronan, Niall, & Elio.
