Dreams Are Made Of

Text and images by Victoria Mendizabal.

Sean Carbin, a second generation Irish-American, bought an old Dominican restaurant called “El Presidente” in 2018, and turned it into Fort Washington Public House, with a clear Irish identity.

Carbin’s parents emigrated from the cities of Monaghan and Donegal in Ireland in 1975. His restaurant/bar emulates the atmosphere of his ancestral home.

Fort Washington Public House is located at the corner of 165th Street and Broadway, near the New York Presbyterian Hospital and the Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Consequently, the primary people that the bar receives are students and staff of the nearby medical facilities, intertwined with different locals from around the neighborhood.

“Everybody here is very proud of where they come from”, said Mark O’Connor, 31, the manager of Fort Washington Public House.

He came from the North of Ireland six years ago and settled in Washington Heights. Although he is far from his roots, he is a proud Irishman.

“It is a very part of who we are as a collective,”he added.

Fort Washington features an Irish flag but also has other flags from different countries and communities representing all the people who work there.

During the early 20th century, Irish immigrants built a strong community in Upper Manhattan. But many people of Irish descent eventually moved to The Bronx or Yonkers.

“There are not too many of us around,” explained O’Connor, who said he didn’t have any Irish friends in the neighborhood.

Coogan’s, a legendary Irish bar and restaurant, had served the community since 1985. But the establishment, which operated at 169th and Broadway, closed its doors as soon as the pandemic began in 2020.

Today, Fort Washington Public House is the only remaining Irish pub in Washington Heights.