CLEVELAND — Declan Synnott is celebrating his 25th St. Patrick’s Day as the owner of Parnell’s Pub in Cleveland. It’s a holiday the Irishman said he didn’t always spend at the bars. 

What You Need To Know

  • Parnell's Pub opened at 7 a.m. Thursday, welcoming patrons for festivities

  • Declan Synnott is from Ireland, and said Clevelanders have much of the same qualities as the citizens of Dublin — "hard-working people, honest (and) true"

  • Synnott said his journey to the states relied much on his family's history and perseverance

  • Synnott keeps a picture of his family near the entrance as a reminder of where he came from
  • The traditions in Ireland to celebrate St. Patrick's Day is a sharp contrast to how Ohio and other states celebrate, Synnott explained

“When I grew up, St. Patrick's Day, ... it was actually a national holiday. We turned around, we’d get up in the morning, go to church and we'd have dinner at home," Synnott said.  "(Then I) came over here, and it was like, ‘Oh, here we go. This is amazing.’ And people partied all day."

Synnott said his journey in the food and beverage industry began nearly 40 years ago when his mother let him drop out of school as a young boy back in Ireland.

“I said, ‘Mom, I can't go back to school, so if I have a job within a week can I leave school?’ And she said, ‘Yes,'” Synnott said.

He then spent the next several years learning the ins and outs of the business before getting a call that would change his life.

“I received a phone call (from) my mom one day to tell me that they're giving out green cards for the United States, and she asked me, ‘Would you like to apply for me?’ And I said, ‘Yes,'" Synnott said.

Six months later, he found out he was heading to Boston.

“My first job in the states was shucking oysters in south Boston,” Synnott said.

He spent time in New Hampshire working as the manager of a five-diamond hotel before moving to Ohio.

“I got recruited to come to Cleveland and buy Flannery's Pub. They were just opening. They needed an assistant general manager, and six months after, I started there in Flannery's, (and then) I ended up buying Parnell's on Cedar and Lee — that was in 1997 or ’98,” Synnott said.

Over the years, the Irishman said the pub allowed him to keep a connection with his culture here in Cleveland.

“I love Cleveland because it reminds me so much of Dublin. (They’re) hard-working people, honest (and) true,” Synnott said.

To remind him of where he comes from, Synnott said he keeps a picture of his family members in Ireland near the entrance of the establishment. 

“When I walk in the door, the first thing I do every day is I look up there because that's my heritage,” Synnott said.

Synnott credits his single mother for encouraging him to follow his passions.

Looking at her picture, Synnott said, “She instilled the hard work ethic to move on in life.”

He also added that she helped him discover he had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

“Well, I remember when I was 16 years of age, and they say moms know everything. My mom said to me, I got to be careful. Because she said, ‘I think you like (to) drink too much.’ It's called 'the affliction' in Ireland. It’s, you know, you can't control when you drink alcohol,” Synnott said. “It took me (until) 33 — so another 16, 17 years to figure out that she was right.”

He said he quit drinking cold turkey and now feels that he’s lucky to have had such positive influences in his life.

“Yes, very blessed and very lucky," Synnott said. “And that's mainly from the people that I've met, my wife, and then (I have) been blessed with two beautiful kids, and everyone else that I've met and helped me to get to where I am in life."

The pub owner added there’s not a day that goes by he didn't wish he could enjoy a drink with the patrons of Parnell’s. However, he said he knows that decision would not be worth losing all that he’s earned so far in his life.

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