by Alice M. Vollmar

After a brief and untimely demise, Molly Quinn’s Pub reopened its doors on March 6, 2004, to a standing-room only grand opening crowd at 3300 E. Lake St., 10 blocks away from its original Twin Cities location. In February and March, volunteers with the irrepressible spirit of Irish community wielded paint brushes, plumber’s and mason’s tools, and resurrected Molly Quinn’s Pub in 27 days. Today, pints are again raised and the fiddles, guitars and mandolins are playing at this neighborhood gathering spot.

The pub’s trio of owners – Bill Watkins, Matthew Lamphear and Cathy Cook – created such a lovely little bit of Ireland in their southeastern Minneapolis pub that, when rental and regulation hassles closed the doors, regulars mourned. There were farewell parties – and Watkins handed back to his Celtic patrons their coat-of-arms shields that he’d made for them and hung on the walls. But as the saying goes, close one door and another opens.

A property became available; the partners negotiated and bought it; and customers pitched in to bring Molly Quinn’s back to life, painting walls shamrock green with soft gray contrasts. The new space measures three times larger than the old, including a spacious dining room that will seat 90, a stage, a fireplace, and of course, a substantial bar.

"It’s the love of the people that did this," said Lamphear. "All those customers who came in after their days work..."

Bustling about behind the bar, Cook commented, "The neighborhood shopkeepers and the community around us are ecstatic that we’re here. Myself, I’ll be happy when everything is running smoothly." Cook said that ten of the original staff have returned; the larger space, new kitchen, and new people will bring a few challenges.

"But the music will go on as before," smiled Watkins, a gregarious fellow with a wild bush of a gray beard who’s well-known as a musician and the author of two books, A Celtic Childhood and Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish. There will be an anything-goes, drop-in session (bring your instrument and play) on Tuesday nights, traditional Irish music Fridays and Mondays, jazz on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and a pub quiz on Sunday nights. (All events start around 8 p.m. or so.)

A quiz? Indeed. Watkins comes up with trivia questions to ask customers. A past one was: What is written on the tablet held by the Statue of Liberty? Only one person answered correctly: July 4, 1776, said Watkins. He chuckled recalling another guess: Made in Japan.

All of this makes for fun and lively interaction, the whole point of an Irish pub in Watkin’s estimation. "Americans are just beginning to realize that pubs aren’t places to go and get drunk, but that conversation is the reason to be here."

In the old Molly Quinn’s, Watkins felt pleased that elderly widows sometimes came in for a pint and a rare night out. Meeting at the pub led to marriage for at least three customers, and women felt safe coming there alone. The owners intend to foster that neighborhood feeling in the new Molly Quinn’s. Loyal patrons have brought back their clan shields; the shields now decorate the walls along with pictures of Ireland and all manner of memorabilia, including a large ancestral heritage map of Ireland.

At the evening’s end, there is a definite pull to linger, to not rush away. If Watkins sees you heading toward the door, you’ll get a wave.

"Don’t be a stranger now," he’ll tell you.

And you know you won’t.
 
 

The Details: Molly Quinn’s opens its doors daily (10 a.m. on weekends, 11 a.m. weekdays) serving late breakfast, lunch and dinner (a full Irish breakfast and the pub’s fish ‘n chips are memorable) at 3300 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, Minn., 612-722-1272. www.wildbillwatkins.com.