Eamonn McDwyer

Eamonn McDwyer is the owner of McDwyer’s Pub, the last Irish pub still up and running in Norwood. He is one of the last few Irish people still living in Norwood since its days as an Irish hub, and I interviewed him because he has been here and seen the changes happening firsthand to the neighborhood throughout the years. As a part of the growing elderly population in the neighborhood, his overall personal experience is relatable to many residents. From Eamonn’s point of view, the neighborhood has changed a lot in the past, for better and for worse. Although crime rates have gone down drastically since the late twentieth century, all the Irish who were his neighbors were all but gone. Even he has a house up in Yonkers, where there is a more vibrant Irish community. However, it is still a place he has developed an affinity to and would like to be a part of. Although it has its share of crime and danger, he believes it is a place just like any other neighborhood, that there will always be some bad people anywhere. Also he pointed out that the low cost of living, low rents, and the close proximity to parks and healthcare services make it an attractive place for old people who retired and are living on a budget. Although he thinks the neighborhood is going to be mostly attractive for old, retired people in the future, he also welcomes any new “hardworking” young people and remarked that it’s a good find for cost conscious young professionals who wish to live in close proximity to the city as well, as Norwood is only half an hour from Manhattan. His insights into how the community changed were instrumental in helping us understand the community from a unique and quite rare perspective-that of a majority member who is now a minority member in the same community.