Serving since
1964
62 years in Boston
Eire Pub
- Why go
- The Adams Village pub where Ronald Reagan stopped for a beer in 1983, still run by the family that opened it in 1964.
- Good to know
- Outside the center: about 5 miles from downtown Boston.
Tom Stenson bought the building in 1963 and opened the Eire in 1964, on the corner of Adams Street and Gallivan Boulevard in Adams Village.
Why it matters
Tom Stenson, from County Sligo, bought the building in 1963 and opened the Eire in 1964. It began as a men-only bar.
On January 26, 1983, President Ronald Reagan made a surprise visit and ordered a Ballantine Ale. Bill Clinton came in 1992 with Mayor Ray Flynn, and the pub has since been a regular stop for political candidates.
Tom's son John Stenson took over after his father died in 2000. In 2018 the pub hired its first female bartender. The official site says it has been family owned for more than 60 years.
The story
Details
- Address
- 795 Adams Street, Boston, MA 02124
- Neighborhood
- Dorchester
- Ownership
- Family-owned
- Status
- Open · verified Sep 2026
OldScore
A secondary, editorial measure. The founding year above is the fact that matters most. How it works.
| Age | 17 | / 35 |
|---|---|---|
| Continuity | 20 | / 20 |
| Local significance | 15 | / 20 |
| Local food culture | 10 | / 15 |
| Independence | 10 | / 10 |
| OldScore | 72 | / 100 |
More like this
Sources
- Eire Pub (official site) Ownership, Address, Current status
- Eire Pub, About Ownership, History
- Dorchester Reporter, "Raise your mugs! The Eire Pub is 50" (Sep 11, 2014) Founding year, Ownership, History
- Boston Globe, "Pigs aren't flying, hell hasn't frozen over, but the Eire Pub just hired a female bartender" (Oct 26, 2018) Founding year, Ownership, History
- Boston Preservation Alliance, Boston's Legacy Businesses: Pubs History
- Wikipedia, "Eire Pub" History · cross-check only