After 38 years in the village, Veronica Donovan and her husband Matt shut the doors of their Lower Mills tavern and restaurant for the last time on Tuesday night. The couple – both emigrants from Ireland – packed the place with family and longtime customers, who were treated to a happy hour or three of free Budweisers and a spread of food.
Earlier that afternoon, the couple signed the final papers in the sale of the Dorchester Ave. building they’ve owned since the Nixon administration. The new buyers – Brendan and Greg Feeney – are also natives of the Emerald Isle and for the last twenty years they’ve built a business of their own, Feeney Brothers Excavation, up in Savin Hill. The brothers – and their business partner Michael Ahearn – were on hand for the farewell party.
After a facelift, they’ll call their new bar and restaurant “The Ledge,” a nod to the big rock formation that stretches out behind the property. A courtyard with seating for up to 65 diners will take shape out back in the coming year. The plan now is to close for a week or two and then re-open for football season. After the Super Bowl, the real work will begin to transform the space.
But, Tuesday night was a night for the Donovan family and their regulars to share drink, memories and a few laughs. The place has changed little since the 1970s – and compared to other eateries in the neighborhood – the prices have been stuck in a different era too. Donovan’s Village was a haven for those with a hankering for home-cooked, meat-and-potatoes plates that stayed affordable, hearty and definitely unpretentious.
Before their move to Lower Mills, the Donovans owned and operated another Dorchester watering hole, the Welcome Inn. It was up on Dot Ave. at the corner of Hecla. Up by Glover’s Corner, Matt Donovan says with a nod.
But its here in “the village” where the Donovans have spent the bulk of their days. They’ve known tragedy to in the sudden death of their son John, who died several years ago at the age of 40 from a heart attack. Many neighbors and friends wondered on Tuesday what could have been had John not passed. Surely, he would have kept the family business alive.
The employees shared the bittersweet moment. Lower Mills native Elley Ryan has been a waitress at Donovan’s for 26 years, she said.
“We’re happy, but sad too,” says Veronica, who shared a booth with her husband and reflected on what’s next. “Oh, we’ll travel. Ireland and England. Paris. Maybe even Las Vegas!”
