• I NOTICE Time Out called the recently closed King’s Head pub theatre, founded in 1970, “the oldest pub theatre in London”.

This is incorrect.

In 1967 the Sugawn pub theatre was founded by playwright and novelist, Irishman JM O’Neill, in the Duke of Wellington, Balls Pond Road, N1.

Running a pub, bringing up a family, and writing in the few spare hours available, could not have been easy.

When he refused to serve plain-clothes police after hours, he was threatened with possessing an unlicensed firearm, a stage pistol prop.

As well as hosting live Irish folk sessions the pub was a popular gathering place for north London’s large Irish population.

Among the Sugawn’s productions, was Hugh Leonard’s Da. Leonard later rewrote the main character to enable Martin Sheen to play the 1988 movie version’s lead.

Other productions included Shelagh Delaney’s, A Taste of Honey, directed by actress Maureen Pryor.

In the late 1970s the large brewers demanded tenants commit themselves to expensive leases and when Jerry O’Neill refused, this being totally unreasonable, he was forced into homelessness.

His obituary of June 11 1999, was carried by the Independent.

RÓISÍN NÍ ĊURRÁIN, N1