The Kevin Barry Division is proud to announce the selection of Thomas Joseph McGinley as recipient of the 2021 President’s Award. The award was first presented in 1979, making Joe the 43rd recipient whose commitment to Catholic faith and embrace of Irish Heritage have made them deserving of this award. Many around the Indianapolis community (and Kilcar community) know of Joe and his love for his family, Faith, and Irish Heritage. For those who don’t, here is a brief profile.
Thomas Joseph McGinley
John and Ann (McNulty) McGinley, immigrants from Carrick and Kilcar Parishes, County Donegal, welcomed their fourth child into their family in 1937. They named him Thomas Joseph, but he is better known as Joe. He and his tight-knit family attended St. Philip Neri parish on the Eastside of Indianapolis. Joe excelled in sports, being named the All-City running back for his alma mater, Cathedral High School.
After his schooling, Joe married his high school sweetheart, Charlene Pleak and they have six children, Theresa, Brian, James, Maureen, Michael and Sean, 21 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. He was a parishioner of St. Bernadette Parish on the Eastside of Indianapolis until it’s closing, during which time he was also active for years coaching CYO football at both his parish and St. Philip Neri. Joe and his bride of 64 years now attend Our Lady or Lourdes.
Joe’s professional career included Gibraltar Mausoleum, where he rose to the rank of Vice President. However, his employment only tells a snippet of his life. For the past forty-three years Joe, along with his siblings, are proud owners of McGinleys’ Golden Ace Inn, first opened by his parents three months after prohibition. The Ace, as it is affectionately referred to by its patrons, is the oldest Irish pub in Indianapolis and a staple of the Irish community.
He’s been to Ireland an amazing 20 times and is considered almost as an ambassador for the Indianapolis Irish. He spends his time primarily in his mother’s hometown of Kilcar, where he is known to most of the locals simply as “Donegal Joe”. In 2015, he and his wife took nearly his entire family to Donegal for a two-week vacation. Speaking of family, that is what is most important to Joe.
Joe’s family is unique in their closeness. Most families get together on holidays and special occasions. The McGinleys’ gather almost every weekend. In fact, every other year, Joe’s clan journeys together on a vacation that’s filled with lots of smiles, laughs and memories.
Joe has served as an officer for the Kevin Barry Division and was St. Patrick’s ticket chairman for years. His family may hold a record for the Kevin Barry Division—three generations of the same family have held offices with the division (Joe, sons Mike and Jim, and grandson and current Sentinel, Victor Doucleff).
Much like his involvement with his family pub, Joe hardly, if ever, misses a Hibernian function. In fact, he has attended the Hibernian St. Patrick’s Celebration for decades, often buying a table or two to accommodate his ever growing family. A smiling Joe surrounded by dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren is, itself, a fixture at Kevin Barry events.
Joe’s love for his Irish Catholic heritage, his ongoing commitment to the AOH, and his energy in promoting both through his family, friends, and community make him highly deserving of the 2021 President’s Award.
Sláinte, Joe!