Paddy O’Sullivan

Paddy O’Sullivan was a poet living in North Beach during the 1950s and 60s. He was known for his “Cavalier Poetry,” and he often wore a Cavalier costume, which might explain the cape and feathered hat. He even had a hook for a hand, which added to his unique look.

I met Paddy O’Sullivan in the mid-1980s at La Honda’s Apple Jacks, a popular spot for all the local Santa Cruz mountain folks and many Bay Area adventurers. My girlfriend, Syd, and I would walk into AJ’s and find an empty booth along the wall near the shuffle board and enjoy a beer. Often, we would welcome the company of a beat poet from San Francisco’s North Beach: Paddy O’Sullivan. We would make room for Paddy and order a beer for him. It was really interesting to talk with Paddy and listen to his stories. He was quite smitten with Syd and would recite poems for her.

In the late 1950s, he wrote a poetic pamphlet called “Weep not my Children,” which included several of his poems. I still have a signed copy. I remember him always carrying around a small notebook in his pocket. He would flip through it and quote from various writings. Sometimes he would even write something down. That notebook seemed to be a constant companion for him.

Wes Rose, a neighbor of ours in University Park, has a great memory of Paddy. They met in La Honda. Wes says a woman named Barbara Lutz had a used clothing store and brought Paddy to La Honda in the late 1970s. She later opened a dry goods store there. Meanwhile, Paddy seemed to move between North Beach, where he had many friends, and back to La Honda. Wes remembers a long time ago when he was in San Francisco near City Lights bookstore and Vesuvio’s. He saw an old poster of North Beach poets on the Vesuvio’s bulletin board. As he looked closer, he realized that one of the poets was Paddy. Somehow, he managed to get the poster and gave it to Betty Nogues, who then gave it to Paddy. Betty remembers this too. I’m not sure what happened to that poster after Paddy got it.

Joe Cottonwood, a local La Honda resident, carpenter, and author, has a really interesting and informative article about Paddy. Joe shares some of the same memories I and others have, but Joe is a much better writer, so it’s worth reading. No one knows the real story of how Paddy lost his right hand. Wes remembers Paddy saying that a tiger had bitten it off. This was the most common story, although others remember it was a crocodile. Also, no one knows when it happened. Paddy seemed to have both hands in 1959, as seen in the video “Street Fair 1959” (check out time stop at 1:15 where Paddy is in his feather hat).