Last Updated:  November 22, 2010

Update - November 22, 2010 (and September 28)
This is just a brief but sad update on family - we have lost two relatives in about two months time.  My great aunt, Doris Wolfe, passed away on Saturday, November 20th in Branson MO.  She was 84 years old and has been in poor health for quite a while.  This follows her husband, my uncle Gene Wolfe, who passed away on Friday September 24th (also in Branson).  He was 86 years old and had been battling several ailments for the past couple years. 

Doris was the sister of Irene McGonigal, my grandmother and the mother of my father Dennis.  A little over three years ago Gene and Doris celebrated their 50 year wedding anniversary.  The site is still up but unfortunately it was never developed.  However, our family did make the trip for the event, which turned out to be a great and special family reunion.

They may be gone from this life, but will remain in our hearts and memories forever.

Update - July 5, 2010
Wow . . . it's been well over over four months since I touched anything on this site!  I guess it's about time for me to give at least a brief update to my family, friends, and fans who may still occasionally check in to this McGonigal family home page. 

Life took a relatively dramatic change for me once the businesses (pub and wine bar) were opened, primarily in terms of the ability to do anything outside of work.  For the first couple months, 16-20 hour DAYS pretty much EVERY DAY were normal shifts for my work.  Counting January, it was over 4½ MONTHS until I finally had my first full day off.  Stress levels were at an all-time high, and you could really see it and how it affected me.  Yes, sleep became a more precious commodity than eating.  You never realize how valuable personal and family time can be until you have absolutely none to spare.  Fortunately this was something I was planning for, though admittedly it was even more than anticipated.

The GREAT news is that the businesses have been nothing short of tremendously successful and have literally exceeded all our expectations.  This was not just a result of hard work; I owe a BIG THANKS for the support from my family and friends, our excellent staff, plus of course the great community and people of Barrington.  We could not have done this without all of you! 

It's true that life will never be the same for me again, but the goal is to come up with an acceptable balance.  With good, trustworthy staff in place and getting myself better organized and educated in this industry, allowing myself some quality time off for the truly important things (i.e., family and some R&R) will become more frequent.  The new "normal" for me will be different and much busier than the old, but I'm confident that I can make it all work out.

My "Deep Thoughts Weekly" mailer has returned from it's nearly four month hiatus, so be sure to get on the mailing list for weekly funnies plus the latest news on family and the pub.  As time permits I'll get some additional updates to this page, including more streamlining as mentioned in my February posting and of course some long overdue AJ pictures (last updated two years ago, and boy has he been growing up!).  Don't hold your breath waiting, but I'll get to it someday sooner than later.  Take care everyone, and see you at the pub!

Update - February 14, 2010
It was a wild 2009 for the McGonigal family, much of which has centered around the prospects of running a family business that would also include my father, sister and brother in law. The serious thought process began in January of '09, and led to bigger and better possibilities, and we have since taken the daunting but exciting steps to make it happen. Well, almost, as the exciting dream of creating McGonigal’s Pub and Park Avenue Wine Bar & Merchant is happening, and the businesses are slated to open in Barrington the first week of March.

Anyway, I thank you all for your understanding and in the near future you will see some final progress. Have a great 2010 my friends, and I hope to see you at the pub this spring!