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Seamus O’Toole, Montague Street tavern legend, 58
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del.icio.usSeamus O’Toole, the co-owner of the beloved Brooklyn Heights bar and restaurant Eamonn’s and a de facto “Mayor of Montague Street,” has died. He was 58.
O’Toole died on Saturday from massive head injuries stemming from an accidental fall in a stairway at one of his new restaurants in Manhattan, said a spokeswoman for the Medical Examiner’s office.
“We’re all devastated,” said longtime customer Samaris, who earned the nickname “Lucky Larry” from O’Toole. “We lost a dear friend and good guy … who just knew everybody by name.”
A very charitable man, O’Toole’s active role in the community was evident in the numerous plaques and wards lining the walls of his restaurant, including praise from the Red Cross, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, and New York Fire Department.
Borough President Markowitz fondly remembered O’Toole as a popular figure in the area, always happy to open his doors to anyone.
“He was a leader in the Irish-American community and a prominent business member of Downtown Brooklyn, and especially Montague Street,” Markowitz said. “He will be missed.”
The saloon opened in the mid-1990s at 174 Montague St. and was a favorite spot among area office workers, lawyers, jurors and business owners — and a popular setting for meetings and parties in its second-floor event space.
The restaurant is expected to stay open — “Seamus would want it open,” Samaris said.
Friends and family streamed into his wake on Tuesday and Wednesday, which was held at McLaughlin & Son’s Funeral Home in Bay Ridge. A mass was scheduled for Thursday at 10:45 am at St. Bernadette’s Church in Dyker Heights, where O’Toole lived.
O’Toole is survived by his wife, Catherine; two young children, Ryan, 8, and Saoirse, 4; and two older boys from his first marriage, Aaron and Cathal.
O’Toole’s family has requested that supporters donate money to St. Jude’s Children Hospital or to the Community Mayors Association in lieu of flowers.
©2008 The Brooklyn Paper
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