Chicago's Historic Irish Pubs

By Mike Danahey and Allison Hantschel

From dancing at Hanley s House of Happiness to raising pints at Kelly s Pub on St. Patrick s Day, the history of the Irish community in Chicago is told through stories of its gathering places. Families are drawn to the pub after Sunday church, in the midst of sporting events, following funerals, and during weddings. In good times and bad, the pub has been a source of comfort, instruction, and joy a constant in a changing world. Based on interviews with tavern owners, musicians, bartenders, and scholars, Chicago s Historic Irish Pubs explores the way the Irish pub defines its block, its neighborhood, and its city.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Feb 28, 2011
• ISBN: 9781439625781

Mike Danahey

Mike Danahey is a reporter for the Sun-Times Media Group based in Chicago�s northwest suburbs. His work has appeared in the Irish American News, the Chicago Sun-Times, and the Elgin Courier-News. Allison Hantschel is the author of It Doesn�t End With Us: The Story of the Daily Cardinal, and editor of Special Plans: The Blogs on Douglas Feith and the Faulty Intelligence that Led to War. Their years in newspapers have given them ample appreciation for a bartender who can pour a good pint.

Book preview

Courier-News.

INTRODUCTION

One might think that being asked to provide a foreword to a book on Chicago’s historic Irish pubs is a rather dubious honor. Was I asked because of my role with the Irish American Heritage Center (where a good part of the research for this book was done) or because I have a reputation for knowing my way around the inside of a pub? As someone who takes great pride in his Irish heritage, I hope the honor was for both reasons.

The pub is a major force in the story of the Irish people, both in Ireland and America. The Irish as a people have stereotypically been linked to drinking and bars for generations and often in a negative way. But rather than try to put the stereotype behind them, the Irish embrace this part of their culture. In Ireland, pubs often became the places where the Irish gathered and developed their musical, political, and literary might. In this country, the pubs became a place for immigrants to connect with family members and other immigrants, a place to find a job, a place to play some music, or just somewhere to provide a small sense of home.

With millions of Irish immigrating to the United States and producing generations of Irish Americans, the Irish pub became a fixture in American life. Today all anyone has to do is stroll down Lincoln Avenue, Halsted Street, Clark Street, or any of the hopping neighborhoods in Chicago and there is an Irish bar on almost every corner. As you read through the book, you’ll benefit from the painstaking research by the authors to uncover a little of the history and the pictures that tell the story of Chicago’s Irish pubs.

Growing up in Chicago, I was the youngest of a large Irish family. My mother taught Irish dance; my father was a member of the Shannon Rovers pipe band. We were members of the old Shamrock American Club and part of the founding generation of the Irish American Heritage Center. We are Irish American and proud. And despite my mother’s good teachings and best efforts, Irish pubs have played a big role in my life. As a kid, I can remember the days when the old Murray’s Pub would paint part of Elston Avenue green for St. Patrick’s Day and when Bobby Ryan broadcast The Irish Hour live from the old Abbey Pub. I remember when my older sisters worked at the legendary Kilkenny Castle. They even met their husbands through that pub and its owners, the Brady family.

For older generations, the pub was the place at the corner of the street. For my generation, the pubs were everywhere. We went to the north side, south side, downtown, Wrigleyville, Lincoln Park, and helped to start the pubs at Gaelic Park and the Irish American Heritage Center. I remember dancing and singing at The Thatch back in the day and singing along with Jimmy and Peter downtown at Kitty O’Shea’s. I remember kneeling down for a quiet moment at the Wolfe Tones show at The Abbey and rocking out there when The Drovers were all the rage around town. We made road trips down to Cork and Kerry and Reilly’s Daughter. And we helped places like Kelly’s and Durkin’s stay relevant for new generations.

The story of Chicago’s Irish pubs is much more than just a story about bars. A true Irish pub weaves itself into the fabric of the neighborhood and the life of the people who live there and call the pub their own. Irish pubs are often the first to step up and host benefits for patrons and families in need. They’re where we gather before and after weddings, wakes, and funerals. They’re where we share our memories with great friends. For some, they’re where we first tried to woo our future wives and spent several dates trying to overcome those first impressions. In short, the story of the Irish pubs is the story of the Irish themselves in Chicago.

As you immerse yourself in the pages of this book, the pictures will bring you back to some of the more legendary Irish pubs in Chicago’s history. You’ll get a feel for the workingman’s pubs of the early 1900s and catch a rare glimpse into the heydays of Butch McGuire’s and Division Street. The stories of the pubs are as unique as the story of Chicago itself. Anyone who has enjoyed a few jars in his day will find this trip down memory lane as satisfying as a proper pour of Guinness—and it might just prompt you to head out to your own favorite pub for a pint.

—Robert McNamara, president,

Irish American Heritage Center

One

IRISH PUBS AND THE BIRTH OF THE CITY

Just around the curve of a river, past rumbling trains and between rising bridges, sits the birthplace of the city of Chicago, a piece of land once known as Wolf Point. It was a meeting place for traders, troops, and travelers, a place to rest and have a drink, to exchange news