“SOUTHIE” WAS OUR HOMETOWN
Joe Mulkern and his lovely wife Kay moved to Jackson in December of 1953, along with son, Tom, and daughter, Alicia. Their eldest daughter, Katie, was married and living in Randolph, MA, while their eldest son, “Red,” was serving in the Marine Corps in Korea. Joe and Kay bought the Oak Lee Lodge, a ski lodge with upstairs bunk rooms, which they ran for several years. Sadly, in 1961 Kay died suddenly, so Tom moved home from Boston, where he had been working since his discharge from the Army, to help. Yes, it was “our” Army.
Tom and his wife, Tess, eventually took over management of the business while raising their 4 children, Kathleen, Nora, Timmy and Danny. It truly was (and still is) a family-run business. Red came home for a while and joined the business until he ultimately went to work for the U.S. Forest Service. Katie also came home before moving to Scituate, MA with her husband, Donald McDonald. Alicia worked in the lounge for several years before settling on Tyrol Mountain with her husband, BJ Hawkes and their son, Brendan.
The restaurant’s name was changed to The Shannon Door Pub around 1982 when we started featuring Irish entertainment. It was the early eighties when we officially stopped renting out the bunk rooms. Around then, fan-favorite Marty Quirk arrived on the scene and we can’t get rid of him! ;)
Continuing with the family tradition, Tom and Tess’ daughter Nora is now the General Manager, while Alicia & BJ’s son Brendan works the bar with his wife, Renée. Jon Peterson, an honorary family member, has been running the kitchen for decades now. Many of Joe Mulkern’s great-grandchildren have worked at the pub as well over the years... waiting or bussing tables, painting faces and even occasionally performing! We are happy to announce that his great-great-grandchildren have begun arriving and will likely continue the tradition.
Over the years we have grown steadily along with our loyal customers and friends. “The Door,” as the locals like to call it, has actually become “The Local.” Many happy memories have been made and good times have been had by people from all over the world. It’s not unusual for third-generation customers to appear at the pub at the suggestion of their grandparents.
Many celebrities have graced our halls over the years to enjoy our award-winning pizza. Gordon Clapp, Emmy Award winner (NYPD Blue), Oscar nominee David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck), former Middleweight Champion of the World, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mike Eruzione, captain of the 1980 Olympic Gold-winning U.S. Hockey team, Ireland’s No. 1 balladeer, Paddy Reilly and many others. Check out their photos on our Wall of Fame!
The Shannon Door Pub was featured in two movies - “The Return Of The Secaucus Seven,” a 1980 John Sayles film, and “Skeletons In The Closet,” a David Powers film featuring Linda Hamilton and Treat Williams.
St. Patrick’s Day Week is the highlight of the year, featuring great Irish entertainment and cuisine: Corned Beef and Cabbage, Shepherd’s Pie, Guinness Beef Stew and Tess’ mother, Mary Murphy’s Irish Soda Bread - all skillfully prepared by our chefs in the kitchen.
Our doorway reads, “Céad Míle Fáilte,” which is Irish for 100,000 Welcomes… and that is our welcome to you! Tom, Tess and the entire Shannon Door family look forward to seeing you soon.
2023 will be our 70th year in business! Please help us celebrate all year long!
