As the centenary of her birth approaches on October 20th, 2025, the people of Drogheda fondly remember Enda McEvoy McDonnell, better known to generations simply as Mrs Mac — the heart and soul of Barney Mac’s on the Chord Road.
Born on 20th October 1925 in a room overlooking the River Cannock in Dublin, Enda was the eldest of six children. Her parents lodged with the widow of Michael Mallin, executed in 1916, and recalled visits from Eamon de Valera. Her father, Peter from Ardbolies, fought in World War I at just 16 and later worked at Guinness until retirement. Her mother, Mary Begley from Cork, worked in service at Blackhall House in Termonfeckin.
Educated by the Loreto nuns in Crumlin, Enda worked as a bookkeeper for Carton Bros (now Manor Farm Chickens) before meeting Bernard McDonnell at the homecoming of Mary Jane and Michael Connor in 1944. They married in 1948, and Enda soon became a familiar face behind the counter of McDonnell’s Grocer, known locally as Barney Mac’s.
The shop was a cornerstone of the community — tea, sugar, flour, bacon and cheese all sold by weight, fishermen delivering salmon for weighing and storage, and everything available except ice-cream (that was Miss Daisy Wilson’s trade up the road).
When Bernard fell ill in 1964, Mrs Mac took charge of the business. As supermarkets grew, the grocery trade declined, and she transformed Barney Mac’s into a full-time pub. The lounge, built in 1946, became home to a long tradition of open-mic singing. Barney Mac’s was the last pub in town to bottle its own Guinness — washed, filled, corked and labelled by hand.
A devout Augustinian, Mrs Mac was deeply rooted in faith and family. She later attended St Peter’s parish for Saturday vigil Mass when the hill to the Augustinian Church became too steep. She raised six children, and her legacy now includes nine grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.
Known for her kindness and discretion, Mrs Mac quietly helped neighbours — lighting fires, cooking dinners, and offering support without ever seeking recognition. She had a remarkable memory for local history, often helping families trace their roots through the “seed, breed and generation,” as she’d say.
Behind the bar well into her 90s, Mrs Mac was known for her humour and her nightly farewell: “Have you no homes to go to?” She managed the pub’s books until her 98th year, only stopping after a fall in July 2023.
She never celebrated her birthday, always saying, “Wait until I’m a hundred.” And so, as Drogheda prepares to mark what would have been her 100th birthday, it is with affection and gratitude that the community remembers the great Mrs Mac — a woman of integrity, generosity, and quiet strength who shaped the life of a neighbourhood for more than seventy years.
Mass will be offered in her memory at St Peter’s Church on Saturday, 18th October at 6.15pm (vigil) and Monday, 20th October at 10.30am.
