No Timeframe for Reopening of Mitch O'Neill's

Fans of Syosset's lone Irish pub will have to wait a little longer to enjoy a pint there, and it's still a mystery what the new incarnation will be like.

Mitch O'Neill's closed following Memorial Day, as owner Mary Kennedy sold the business after 36 years there. 

Kennedy told Syosset Patch back then that the bar would reopen in about a month but that there would be a lot of changes. 

Syosset Patch visited the pub Monday to get an update and left contact information with a man working on the air conditioning. A few hours later a woman identifying herself only as Joan said that she was a partner in the business, and that there was no timeframe for the reopening.

"We're still making a lot of decisions," Joan said, later adding, "It's a surprise for the community. We don't want it to come out and ruin everything." 

A source disclosed that one of the owners was Noreen Abbatiello. When Syosset Patch returned Wednesday morning, one of the many contractors working inside said she wouldn't be back until the end of the week.

During a subsequent phone call Joan confirmed Abbatiello's involvement in the business but added that Abbatiello would have no comment until the business reopened. 

Joan asked that the reporter call back in mid-August for an update.

The closing of Mitch O'Neill's has put a crimp in Syosset's social scene. When Patch went to The Inn Between last week to get reactions to LeBron James' free agency decision, one patron noted, "I guess you went to the only bar in Syosset to do this since Mitch O'Neill's is closed."

Nostalgic former patrons can check out a Syosset Patch video recorded there on St. Patrick's Day.