About halfway through LAST CALL AT COOGAN’S, I asked myself, Who, outside of the immediate neighborhood, is going to be interested in this story? It seemed hyper-local. I compared it with the Instagram photos and videos that people post about their pets and kids. They might be fascinating, but mainly to those who have a close relationship to the subjects.

The construction of the book is a bit unruly. Jon Michaud --- himself an Irish immigrant --- includes stories that may be integral to the overall narrative, but taken individually, they just don’t seem all that important to the reader who doesn’t have a stake in the race.

But towards the end of his history of this Upper Manhattan institution, I began to get it.

"The final photo in the book is of a 'broom clean' Coogan’s, a sad reminder of the impact that the pandemic had on so many lives, in both the private and business sectors."

The opening chapters focus on the difficulties in establishing Coogan’s in a community that is beset with its own problems. This Irish bar was “born” in Washington Heights at a time when New York was not in a great situation thanks to crime, drugs, intergroup rivalries and other urban deterioration. The principals who opened Coogan’s were, thankfully, a determined lot. The people they hired for various staff positions became a family, as clichéd as that may sound. And, like families, there was the occasional dispute, to lesser and greater degrees. (The hit TV show “The Bear” is an apt comparison.)

While some bars might cater to a single group, Coogan’s attracted a diverse and active crowd, including entertainers, politicians and members of the local police precincts. Many of the relationships they established came in handy, especially in later years when gentrification pushed many small businesses out due to outrageous rent increases. The landlord of Coogan’s --- connected to the nearby New York-Presbyterian Hospital from which it gleaned many of their customers --- sought to raise the lease from $20,000 to $60,000 a month. But thanks to those political connections, coupled with massive public support, that rate was drastically reduced, allowing Coogan’s to remain in operation.

But that would not last too long. One hurdle they could not negotiate away was COVID. Like thousands of other bars and restaurants across the country, they were unable to withstand the storm as more and more restrictions were put into place, locking down the nation and keeping them from the ever-dwindling gathering so important to maintaining that sense of community. The final photo in the book is of a “broom clean” Coogan’s, a sad reminder of the impact that the pandemic had on so many lives, in both the private and business sectors.