Sad news for the neighborhood: the Irish Punt (40 Exchange Pl.), a legacy business that’s been in Lower Manhattan for more than three decades, will be closing this month. The good news is that you still have a couple weeks to stop by and have a drink — the bar’s last day is December 19.
Owner Deirdre O’Sullivan told us about the closure in an email:
It is with a heavy heart that we announce that the Irish Punt, a beloved pub will be closing its doors thus bringing an end to our incredible 31-year run here in NYC’s Financial District. Tucked away in a virtually nondescript building at 40 Exchange Pl., the Irish Punt was known as a community pub, a neighborhood staple in the financial district, with some of the best regular customers any business could wish for, the Irish Punt was an unassuming, no-frills space that felt welcoming to all.
I would like to take a moment to offer my deepest and most profound gratitude to the many many people who made The Irish Punt so special over the last three decades. It’s true that people make a place, and we have been incredibly fortunate to have had the very best customers, and by far the best staff since opening our doors in 1995. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. To the phenomenal staff, past and present — thank you is not enough. The Irish Punt wouldn’t have been the same without your hard work, spirit and dedication to the business creating a warm and welcoming space, offering an atmosphere that kept people coming back, you made this bar feel like home to everyone who entered its doors, I am forever grateful for your dedication and love. And most importantly, to you all, our very loyal customers — the regulars, the newcomers and the friends who became family over the years — thank you, we could not have done it without your continued support.
Since first opening in 1995, we have been more than just a pub. We have been a living room, a confidant, a first-date spot, and a place where thousands of different stories began and ended and, then some!!!! Having watched downtown Manhattan change and grow, we feel honored to have been a constant in this city’s ever-changing landscape.
O’Sullivan says the closure is due to 40 Exchange Pl.’s conversion to a residential building. Stop by this week and next to toast the bar’s many years in the neighborhood — we’ll miss it!
