Fenian's Pub: A Eulogy by Two Friends

Devna Bose and Alex Melnick on what is lost in the closing of Fenian's Pub, one of Jackson's most treasured community spots.

Last week, Jackson’s Fenian’s Pub closed after twenty-eight years in operation in the Belhaven Heights neighborhood. Since news broke of its closing, there has been an outpouring of Fenian’s memories, photos, and stories. Do you have a favorite memory from Fenian’s Pub? What does a community lose when its beloved watering hole closes? Let’s talk in the comments.

Fenian’s final night. Photo collage by Zach James.

It’s 5 p.m. in Jackson, Mississippi, but the beer is already flowing behind the bar at Fenian’s Pub. 

In a few hours, someone will be screaming an off-key version of a Taylor Swift song in the back room, and the bathrooms will look worse than they smell. The motley crew drinking at Fenian’s won’t care. They’ve seen worse. 

The day of the week doesn’t matter—mosquito-bitten summer and tepid winter are all the same. Any night, Fenian’s is this: grimy meeting point for all, beloved watering hole, place to get a cheap drink after a long, hard day, of which there are too many in the st…