Rosie O'Grady's, a landmark Irish hostelry in New York City, is set to close at the end of June.
But the Carty family, which has managed the bar, restaurant, and popular event venue for 43 years at its 7th Avenue home, is now on the hunt for a new location in Manhattan.
"We have the name Rosie O'Grady's registered," owner Mike Carty told the Echo.
The decision to close was not one taken by the Carty family, despite the financial challenges of recent years arising from the Covid pandemic.
Carty and his team were given notice by landlord SL Green with June 30 as a final date. SL Green bills itself as New York City's largest commercial landlord.
"It's alright. It's not the end of the world," said Carty, a Leitrim native and one of the best known and most popular Irish hosts in New York City.
Carty said that a deal for future rent and payment of back rent to the landlord had been worked out but that the landlord had then decided to go to arbitration.
Rosie's had been confident of winning at arbitration, but the arbitrators ultimately sided with the landlord.
In recent years the Carty family has spent over $2.5 million in renovating and refurbishing Rosie's. This included the addition of a second function room on the building's top floor.
The Echo has hosted many awards events in both function rooms over the years.
"We do not know what they have in mind for the place," said Mike Carty, referring to the landlord.
But he added that air rights would not expire until 2048, so the building could not be demolished.
In 2017 the annual rent for the building was raised by $300,000 to $3.3 million.
"We were doing it," said Carty, referring to Rosie's being able to meet the rent.
"In all our years we have never been back in our rent," he said.
"But then came the Covid pandemic."
The door at Rosie O'Grady's will remain open in the coming weeks with the welcome mat as evident as ever.
But the hunt is on for a new front door. The welcome mat will move once it is found. It is registered too.
