by Bill Forry
Officials with the Irish Social Club in West Roxbury plan to close its doors permanently and sell its Park Street property — a decision that has sparked protests from members and neighbors who want the club to stay open.
News of the sale — first reported by West Roxbury Patch in April— stunned many members and patrons, who say that the decision to sell the building was made without their input.

“The members of the club were never notified that the club was in financial trouble. The members were told on a Friday night that the last dance would be Sunday. They were never given a chance to fund raise to keep the club open,” said Brendan Adams, one of the activists hoping to block the closure, in an e-mail to the Reporter. “A small group of elected officers made the decision for all the members.”
Adams and other advocates say that more should be done to keep the club open before a sale is attempted.
The club boasts a history stretching back to 1945 and has been in its current home since 1978.
Club president Andrew Sheehan told the Boston Globe that the club’s finances were strained by poor attendance and that the organization could no longer afford to stay in business.
“It’s the end of an era,” Sheehan told the Globe. “But what can you do when you don’t have money.”
West Roxbury native Jon Cullen started a Facebook page to “Save the Irish Social Club of Boston” that now counts more than 230 members.
“There’s a lot of will to keep this place open,” says Cullen, a West Roxbury neighbor who is not currently a member of the social club. “There has been a marked decline in membership, but what I’ve heard from younger folks is that there hasn’t been any effort to reach out to younger Irish families. My hope is that that they do have a vote and if its’ decided that club will stay open, there’ll be a rush to join the club and have some influence on its future.”
“It’s a great location,” adds Cullen. “It’s prime property and it could be a great venue for lots of different things, but I also hope it keeps its Irish flavor.”
Cullen says that advocates for the club have drawn some hope from the work of local political leaders — Rep. Ed Coppinger and City Councillor Matt O’Malley— who have recently spoken out on the issue.
“It’s a great club,” said City Councillor Matt O’Malley. “It’s a private club and we understand if it’s not sustainable, but I think there’s a real appetite among the younger generation to keep this going. There are ways to engage the community and I’ve tried to impress on the leadership the importance of having a meeting with the full membership.”
-Bill Forry