Bostonians reeled this month upon hearing of the imminent closure of Doyle鈥檚 Caf茅 in Jamaica Plain. The Irish pub has served up brews and burgers, connections and community for 137 years (including its Prohibition-era stint as a grocery store and speakeasy).聽
Among the many mourning the demise of Doyle鈥檚 is Professor of Business Law David Twomey. For decades, the professor would often bring seniors from his Labor Law Seminar on Sunday afternoon outings to the nearby Arnold Arboretum, followed by supper at Doyle鈥檚.
Famous as a meeting place for mayors, city councilors, and other politicos (along with a cross section of humanity reflecting its diverse, dynamic neighborhood), Doyle鈥檚 features three different rooms whose walls are all filled with framed political memorabilia鈥攑hotos, banners, archival newspaper clippings, and other mementos of Hub history. See, for example, the portrait of JFK鈥檚 grandfather John 鈥淗oney Fitz鈥� Fitzgerald watching over Twomey鈥檚 class in the photo above.
The students bumped into pols in real life, too, and even caught glimpses of history in the making.聽
鈥淥ver the years, we ran into Mayor [Thomas] Menino there,鈥� says Twomey. 鈥淥ur students were able to meet a group of people in the early planning stage of Deval Patrick鈥檚 run for governor. And on our last visit in late April of 2019, we had the pleasure of meeting the Boston Teachers Union鈥檚 bargaining committee, who were very optimistic about the ongoing negotiations with the City, and they shared their thoughts with us.
鈥淭he Labor Law Seminar is going to miss Doyle鈥檚.鈥�