In late January 2026, a group of friends gathered in the Pimlico Irish pub in Houston, Texas, to mourn the death of bartender and undertaker, Noel Hawkins. Yes, undertaker. It turned into a celebration of a well-lived life.
Noel began working in Mulligan’s of Poolbeg Street in Dublin in 1979. During his near half-century behind the bar, he became one of the capital’s most well-known and best-loved characters.
His wit was razor sharp, his repertoire of jokes and funny stories vast. Dull moments were not allowed. A conservative estimate would put the number of customers he served during his career at more than half a million. Few forgot him.
He threw his head back and shook with laughter when interacting with customers. There was the cheeky laugh and the broad child-like smile.
He had a habit of placing his hands, palm downwards, on the bar, and, every now and then, raising his right hand, gesturing wildly. As his story unfolded, he might dart away to top off a pint, return with it to the customer and cash in the drink payment before delivering the punchline. Invariably, this would provoke laughter from his listener and others ear-wigging at the bar.
Noel was easily heard. Then, in a flash, he would disappear into the adjoining bar from where laughter would emanate within a few seconds of his arrival there. Entertainment was his forte.
Noel’s joie de vivre, combined with his kindness, humanity and impeccable professionalism marked him out as the bartenders’ bartender. He could be trusted. He was as good a listener as he was a talker. Strangers were as entranced by him as were those who knew him all their lives.
He adored his son, Justin. Anyone who saw them together might easily have thought they were best pals and not father and son.
Jack Law, Tom Easley, Charles ‘Doc’ Dougherty and Mike Carr paying tribute to Noel Hawkins at the Pimlico Irish Pub
Noel made a point of telling close friends how much he respected and how much he was grateful to his employers, Ger and Gary Cusack, for allowing him to be himself. He enjoyed the best of relations with his co-workers and was always keen to say how fortunate he was to have one of them, Christy Hynes, as his best friend.
Noel’s fun and friendship stretched around the globe. He took Mary Long and Nan Budinger under his wing when they arrived for their first visit to Dublin from their homes in San Francisco, insisting that he drive them to the airport for their departure flight. They remained life-long friends.
On one occasion in the 1990s, a group of visitors from the United States arrived in Mulligan’s and ordered several Irish coffees. As the high-maintenance beverages were being prepared, one of the group, in an attempt to make conversation, said: “We came in here in 1980,” to which Noel replied: “I’m serving as fast as I can.”
In 2012, Charles ‘Doc’ Dougherty, from Houston, Texas, arrived in Mulligan’s and ordered two pints of Guinness. Noel became curious as Doc remained on his own. After some time, Noel learned that the second drink was for Doc’s friend, Billy Brooks Carr, a great fan of Mulligan’s, who had died eight months earlier. Doc had made the journey to Ireland with Billy’s ashes, which he had intended to spill outside the premises.
Noel’s joie de vivre, combined with his kindness, humanity and impeccable professionalism marked him out as the bartenders’ bartender (Credit: Jim Leonard Photography)
Noel had a better idea. He decided to have them encased in the pub’s grandfather clock with an accompanying note. It was 1 April. Noel decided to sign the note with 2 April as the date, fearing people might think it was a joke if the previous day’s date was used.
10 years after the death of Billy, his twin brother, David, died. His ashes were also deposited in the grandfather clock. Friends and relatives of the Carr family regularly make a pilgrimage to Mulligan’s and celebrate the lives of the twins with a pint (or more).
Noel, the “undertaker,” became very close to the family and always enjoyed their company. It is for this reason that Mike Carr, brother of Billy and David, along with Doc and other friends gathered in the Pimlico in Houston where they brought up a picture of Noel on their laptop and placed it on the bar before raising a drink to him.
Doc’s tribute reflects the honesty and deep affection expressed by those who knew Noel since the announcement of his untimely death: “Noel was my first friend in Dublin at Mulligan’s. Gracious, kind, bright and funny. Always a welcoming beacon of irreverent craic. Fare thee well, good brother.”