by Michael Caprio
Special to BIR
After an eight-month rally of fundraising, membership drives, and renovations, the Irish Social Club of West Roxbury will reopen its doors on Sun., Dec. 4, for an evening dance.

Since shutting its doors in April amidst financial issues and declining membership, the 65-year-old club has undergone extensive renovations and now boasts a repaired roof, new floor, and new wiring system. In those eight months, the club added 600 new members (making the official count now 952) and raised tens of thousands of dollars – much of that coming from a Sept. 24th all-day fundraiser at the club.
“They did not want this place to close,” said Mary Mulvey Jacobson, a member of the Save the Irish Social Club steering committee. “It was really the will of the people.”
During the renovation process, the club received support from the Local IBEW 103 to update the electrical wiring of the club’s Park Street building, bringing the building into compliance with Boston Fire Department code and allowing it to reopen. “They sent a boatload of people,” Jacobson said. “It was a big help.”
Mary Maloney, the club’s newly elected president, said that the organization will resume its weekly Sunday night dances and will be looking forward to offering more attractions during the week. “We’re going to be moving forward next year,” she said.