John McPartlan
Age: 53
Place of birth: Brooklyn, NY.
Where you live: Scotch Plains, NJ.
Name of Company you work for: Molly Maguire’s Irish Pub and Restaurant.
City you work in: Clark, NJ.
Profession: Publican.
Why I chose this career: Worked in the small Pipin’s Pub in Brooklyn for lunch money during high school and pint money in college. During my career at Verizon I bought Pipin’s. After returning from my first trip to Ireland in 2000, I had to open Molly Maguire’s Irish Pub and try to bring a little piece of Ireland to Union County NJ.
Status: Married
Family: Wife Karen, son Jeffrey and daughter Christie.
The proudest moment of my career: Grand Opening of Molly Maguire’s Irish Pub on Union County’s parade day in March 2002.
Biography: John was born in Brooklyn New York in 1958 to John McPartlan Sr. from Drumkeeren, County Leitrim and Sally Ann O’Connor, whose parents are from Ballinrobe, Coounty Mayo. Educated in St. Patrick’s grammar school, Bishop Ford HS (Brooklyn) and St. John’s University, he currently resides in Scotch Plains, NJ with his wife Karen. They are the proud parents of Jeffrey and Christie McPartlan. Growing up in a predominantly Italian enclave of Brooklyn, John’s home was one of the few whose radio was set on Sunday to the Irish music radio station. John Sr. occasionally would pull out his accordion and flute and fill the small house with traditional Irish music, not much appreciated by his Irish American kids. In 2000, John’s parent’s took a trip to Ireland. Only the second time that John Sr. went back since his immigration to the states in 1947. John and his son Jeff met them and spent an unforgettable week touring the mythical island, seeing the homes in Mayo of both of Sally Ann’s parent’s and then traveling north to Leitrim to meet John Sr. sister in law in the house that he was born and raised in. At the end of the trip John walked into The Quay on Shop St. in Galway City. The ambiance, warmth and “craic” that was experienced led him to create Molly Maguire’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in Clark, NJ.