It takes a special sort of genius to run a pub well and there is no doubting that Brendan Connolly had this in spades. He wasn't the big character that some publicans seem to feel they have to be but his quietly spoken demeanour created an atmosphere that attracted an amazingly diverse crowd both in terms of age and origin.  I'm not a chatty person and normally avoid engaging with others in a pub but there was something about being in Connolly's that made you feel it was fine to get to know other patrons. It could be raucous but there was never any tension. I gone there to support teams that ended up losing but left happy. The cèilidh were a Chiswick institution and will be much missed. I remember one time meeting a bunch of Catalan students who had come specifically to the pub on a Friday night having heard how good the music was. One time I wandered in not knowing that an Army vs Navy match had taken place at Twickenham. Any problem with British military personnel in an Irish pub? Not a bit of it — it was a truly magnificent evening. This kind of environment doesn't just happen, it needs a guiding hand to flourish and that doesn't necessarily come without a price. I know Brendan was assaulted when trying to keep the place safe for his customers and that, combined with the huge challenges of making a living out of running a pub these days, led to him considering walking away. Someone has big shoes to fill. RIP Brendan.

Entire Thread

Topic	Date Posted	Posted By
Brendan Connolly	21/05/25 10:35:00	Andrew OSullivan
Re:Brendan Connolly	21/05/25 12:25:00	Richard Greenhough
Re:Brendan Connolly	23/05/25 12:18:00	Paul Corcoran

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