TOM FRAWLEY OF FRAWLEY’S PUB, CO. CLARE, IRELAND

Tom Frawley of Frawley's Pub, Co. Clare, Ireland | The Beachside Resident

Tom Frawley of Frawley's Pub, Co. Clare, Ireland

Paddy McDrinksey

Tom Frawley

Forget "Bartender of the Month;" Tom Frawley, 91, the recently retired owner of the P. Frawley public house in Lahinch, Co. Clare, is our favorite bartender of all time.

Though he probably couldn't mix a margarita if he tried, Tom was the embodiment of all that is noble about the profession.

He ran a tight ship with quiet authority (a fluorescent sign inside his pub read: "No Stag Parties Welcome Here"), was spry and attentive beyond his years (when he wasn't dozing on his stool), spun a great yarn, sang like an angel, and was, above all, a character — of a kind that proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the existence of an almighty, all-knowing, and highly creative God.

Tom Frawley, an avowed bachelor, pulled his first pint at the age of 9 in 1928 in this tiny, grocery-cum-pub, which has been in his family for an astounding 138 years. When his mother died in 1961, he took over P. Frawley and ran it until he begrudgingly retired due to poor health this past August.

For more on this story, please go to

http://thebeachsideresident.com/2012/03/bartender_tom_frawley/

Note the absence of refrigeration... Aussie pubs would go broke...