The World’s End pub in Camden Town

Published: 15 November, 2012
by TOM FOOT

HE was happiest roaring on the Kilkenny hurling team or listening to the Golden Lion pub jukebox with a half pint of Guinness and an old Irish whiskey.

Mick Doheny, landlord at the legendary World’s End pub, was found dead in the street in the early hours of Thursday, leaving a great sense of loss in the heart of Camden Town this week.

A post-mortem has so far failed to reveal the cause of his death but police said on Tuesday they do not suspect violence.

Three people arrested have been released without charge, and a fourth, suspected of theft at the scene – in Pratt Street at the junction with Royal College Street – is on bail. An inquest at St Pancras Coroner’s Court has been charged with finding out what happened.

In the meantime, affectionate memories of the publican have been shared.

The 49-year-old – who also ran the Underworld nightclub below the World’s End – raised tens of thousand of pounds for charity as chairman of Camden’s Inner London Licensees Association (Cilla) for more than a decade.

A ball for members due to be held last night has been postponed as grief sweeps the close-knit community of Camden pub owners.

Friends and family said they felt “empty” without Mr Doheny – known as “Kilkenny Mick” back in his Irish homeland – and that “Camden Town would never be the same again”.

Mary Murphy, landlady of the Golden Lion pub in Royal College Street, where Mick was a regular, said: “The memory stays, but it is just such a shock to the system. He was such a character. Camden Town will never be the same again.

“We were really good friends – and we all went out together because we shared the same birthday.

“He loved the jukebox here and he loved all the records. He knew when they were written – he was a singer too – you could even say he was an expert on music.”

Mr Doheny played a pivotal role in maintaining the borough’s world- famous night-life economy as Cilla chairman for more than a decade.

Until the last, he was campaigning against the growing trend of back-street pubs being closed by property developers.

At the time of his death, he was fighting against the closure of the Golden Lion. “He was upset about that and he always said he would fight on,” Ms Murphy said.

She said Mr Doheny liked to drink at the Parrs Head before the pub was brought by developers, and also at the Sheephaven Bay in Mornington Crescent.

Sheephaven landlord Pat Logue said: “Obviously, there is an empty feeling – we are all just waiting to see him again.

"He was a very clever man, and an educated man – he knew his stuff. He was a big character and a big void to fill.

“It is important to mention his charity work. He was 12 years doing the Cilla Ball, raising on average £3,000 to £4,000 each time, which was given out to charities in Camden.

He was organiser. When my mother’s house was burned down in Ireland about six or seven years ago, he arranged a fundraiser in the Oxford Arms.”

He added: “When we know what’s going on we can get ready to celebrate his life. He was a good friend to everybody and a real character.”

For the New Journal Christmas Hamper Appeal, Mr Doheny shaved off his huge beard, boosting our annual fundraising campaign.

Tom Maloney, landlord of the Oxford Arms, said: “He was very involved in all local charities.

"He will be sadly missed in the area. He was very supportive of the licensees.”

Mr Doheny’s deputy at the World’s End, Marek Wisniewski, said: “Camden – it just has this emptiness now.

"He was so attached to this place.

"Camden was Mick. He was always around, he was always available to talk, and now he is not – it is indescribable.”

Simon Pitkeathley, chief executive of Camden Town Unlimited, a group for local businesses, described Mick as “very gruff” and a “hard taskmaster”, adding: “He was instrumental in bringing the business community together.

"He wasn’t just about selling beer, he was about the environment and the town centre.

"He really knew all these people – when he spoke you knew it was a collective voice.”

He said the night before Mr Doheny died he was calling at a Cilla meeting for “stationary” police officers at the Britannia Junction, outside Camden Tube station, on weekend nights.

Camden Council finance chief Councillor Theo Blackwell said: “He ran a local pub and he was a local resident too, so Mick saw both sides. 

"When Camden Town had its major problems in 2003, Mick was a key player in helping to bring local pubs together with Camden’s daytime businesses to start to solve problems in conjunction with the police.”

Mr Doheny’s son Seb said: “We would like to thank everyone for their good wishes and for the kind words over the years and particularly at this time of mourning for the family.”

• A memorial service will be held for Mick Doheny at Our Lady of Hal Church, in Arlington Road, Camden Town, from 7pm tomorrow (Friday). His body will be flown back to Ireland for the funeral.

>>'Mick was part of the folklore of our town' (click here for full story)