James Kilgallen Jr., tavern owner

James P. Kilgallen Jr., 78, of Havertown, a tavern owner, maintenance manager, and dedicated Irishman who was born on St. Patrick's Day, died of heart failure Saturday at Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Mr. Kilgallen inherited Kilgallen's Tavern from his father, an immigrant from County Mayo, who opened the Havertown bar in 1960.

He told an Inquirer reporter last year, "My place is an Irish shot-and-a-beer bar." The reporter elaborated, calling Kilgallen's a "mom-and-pop joint" where "the blue-collar crowd knocks back pints of Guinness at the glinty wooden bar."

Mr. Kilgallen was a member of the Mayo Society, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians. He was founder of the Irish of Havertown Society and in 2002 was named honorary mayor of the 33d County of Ireland - Havertown.

In the 1970s and '80s, he was active in efforts to change laws restricting Irish immigration. When he served as grand marshal of the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Philadelphia in 2004, the theme was "St. Patrick, Pray for Our Irish Ancestors and Bless America in Welcoming New Immigrants."

Attracta O'Malley, former president of the Mayo Society, knew Mr. Kilgallen for 34 years. "You could disagree with Jim, but you couldn't stay angry with him," she said. "He was fun to be with and was a great storyteller."

Mr. Kilgallen grew up in West Philadelphia, graduated from St. Thomas More High School, and served in the U.S. Army in West Germany during the Korean War.

After his discharge, he worked at a bar in West Philadelphia and operated his own bar in Nicetown. He was then a maintenance manager for a business in Bryn Mawr and for facilities owned by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Immaculata until the early 1990s.

Mr. Kilgallen was an assistant football coach at Cardinal Dougherty High School when it won the city championship in 1968. He also coached football at St. Denis Elementary School in Havertown and several semipro teams.

Since 1955, he had been married to Margaret Philbin Kilgallen, who was born in South Philadelphia but grew up in County Galway, Ireland. They had met in Wildwood. "Peggy was the love of his life," O'Malley said.

Mr. Kilgallen and his wife often visited relatives in Ireland, most recently in 2007.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by sons James M. and Kevin; daughters Maureen Keeney and Theresa McPherson; a sister; 11 grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. tomorrow and from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Stretch Funeral Home, 236 E. Eagle Rd., Havertown. A Funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Denis Church, Eagle Road and St. Denis Lane, Havertown. Burial will be in SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery, Marple Township.