Landing in New York in the early summer of 1994, Sinead Naughton’s arrival coincided with the World Cup kicking off in the US. When Ireland famously beat Italy in Giants Stadium, many parts of the city became a sea of green. “I remember the night we beat Italy and the craziness of the pubs on 3rd Avenue. It was such an amazing time to be in New York.”
Originally from Loughrea, Naughton moved to New York on a Morrison visa, which she says was easy to acquire. “We just got them in the post. Most of my college class went to New York that summer, but only three of us are still here.”
After leaving boarding school in Tuam in 1988, during which time she played camogie and won All Ireland gold, Naughton studied English and history in UCG, now NUIG. “After completing my BA, I decided I wanted to be a teacher so I completed a HDip, also in UCG.”
Soon after completing her studies, Naughton left for the Big Apple.
“Ireland was a very different place back then. Opportunities weren’t as plentiful as they are now and there was an exodus. So, like many others, I went to the US for the summer, with no job lined up.”
The city became a ghost town, people worked from home, the streets were empty
A random encounter in her early days there led to a teaching position in the Bronx at the beginning of the academic school year. “It was funny because I didn’t have a job for the summer yet but I soon started waiting tables and found a fabulous place to live on 110th street on the Upper West Side.”
Naughton worked as a history and English teacher at St Philip Neri School in the Bronx for four years, before taking up a waitressing position at Maloney and Porcelli restaurant, and moving to the Lower East Side.
“After turning 30, my husband and I decided to travel the world. We were a bit older than the average travellers, but we could afford a little more luxury, which was great.”
The couple left India in September 2001, landing in Dublin one day before 9/11. “When we heard about the World Trade Center, my dad insisted on us turning turf to distract us, but we couldn’t get over the horror of what we were seeing. It was numbing and incomprehensible.”
Returning to a changed city, Naughton avoided downtown for a long time, like many others. “I didn’t have a place to live, so I was couchsurfing for a while, before settling back to a teaching role at Vincent Ferrer private school in Manhattan, where I stayed until 2009.” Between 2009 and 2016, she taught world history at Trevor Day school. “In 2016 I gave up teaching, deciding to commit myself full-time to our pub businesses.”
In 2011, she and her husband had opened an English pub called the Churchill Tavern on Park Avenue and Lexington, adding the Dog & Bone, also a UK-inspired tavern featuring a small grocery store on Third Avenue to their portfolio in 2017.
“The two pubs kept us very busy until 2020, when the pandemic brought Manhattan’s hospitality industry on its knees.
“The city became a ghost town, people worked from home, the streets were empty. We actually ended up giving all our food away to people in the community. It was one of the few highlights of the pandemic, which saw us able to give back. But we went through very hard times.”
Just when business was picking up again in 2021, the Omicron variant saw bookings cancel and footfall decrease. “We’re very lucky to be here and appreciate the fact that we are.
“The Manhattan landscape has changed considerably since Covid-19. Working from home means there are fewer people in the city than before. Many people have moved away altogether and it’s having a huge impact on hospitality. The high cost of living and rentals in the area makes it impossible for people on lower salaries to survive, so there’s a huge shortage of staff just like in many places.”
Like many others, Naughton and her husband left the city and moved to Vernon, New Jersey. “We commute to the city, which takes around an hour and a half, but we also kept a studio and, most importantly, a car parking space in Manhattan. It’s worth more than gold.
“We are in the midst of opening a pub here in Vernon called the Glenwood. We’re going to be offering Mediterranean American fare, theme nights and a full bar with infused vodkas. It’s exciting to open something new, which we have been planning for a while.”
Naughton says the area in which the couple bought a house is idyllic. “It reminds me of Ireland. Vernon is home to Mountain Creek ski resort and offers amazing hiking and stunning scenery. We’re surrounded by lakes and mountains. Because there’s no train connection to New York, you have to get a bus if you don’t drive, so real estate is more affordable. It’s a great place to live and an antidote to busy New York.”
Despite the recent hard times, Naughton is optimistic New York has room for everyone. “You feed off other people’s success. If a new bar opens up in the neighbourhood, it’s a good thing. It means more people come. Competition is great. Americans thrive on it.”
Naughton says living outside Manhattan for a few days a week offers welcome respite, and a slower pace of life. “But when you come to New York, the energy of the city is unrivalled. It’s such a powerful force. It’s an incredible city and one I haven’t been able to leave, despite a failed attempt.”
Despite contemplating moves back to Ireland, Naughton is happily settled in the US.
“The Irish have a strong community here and there are great connections to be made. The Irish Network in New York does fantastic work and there’s a lot happening now. If you move to New York, and you’re Irish, I strongly recommend connecting with them. It’s the next best thing to being home.”
