Our Rich History: From Jack Quinn’s to Molly Malones and the ‘Spirits’ who seem to have stayed


By Raymond G. Hebert, PhD
Special to NKyTribune

Part 11 of an occasional series about Casual & Fine Dining

The Hermes Building (northwest corner of Fourth and Court Streets in Covington, and current site of Molly Malone’s Irish Pub) was built in 1888 by Joseph Hermes, who operated a German-American saloon there.

In 1926 Alban Wolff Sr. bought the building for his printing company, Wolff Standard Printing Works. The printing venue was on the first floor, with the second and third floors broken into apartments. One of those apartments was supposedly the site for a murder “sometime after the birth of Alban’s grandson, Philip Wolff in 1935. This event is the most popularly cited reason for the building’s haunting” (Kathryn Trauth Taylor, “Ghost Legends and Memorates of Urban Northern Kentucky,” Contemporary Legend, series 3, vol.2, 2012. Karl J. Lietzenmayer, “Regional Historic Structures: Successes, Failures & Misguided Decisions,” Northern Kentucky Heritage, Vol. VII, No. 2, Spring/Summer 2000).

Molly Malone’s, Covington. (Photo by Amy Malventano)

Aidan Bowles and Jack Welles purchased the Hermes Building and opened Jack Quinn’s pub/restaurant in 1997. According to Kathryn Taylor, two of the servers from Quinn’s shared their stories of the building’s “spirits” with the servers and owners of Molly Malone’s “when the building changed companies in 2007. . . . [they] shared stories about their experiences with strange occurrences” (Taylor, p. 39). A woman in a second-floor apartment shot her husband when she caught him cheating on her. Is it her voice they have heard? Karl Litzenmayer says that servers told him of various phenomena, “such as lights going on and off and an elevator operating on its own” (Taylor, pp. 36-38).

Moving from the mysterious to the real, Amy Culbertson of the Cincinnati Post noted in a 1998 “Dining Spotlight” column that Jack Quinn’s “may be the current hottest out-on-the-town destination for over-25s.” Co-owners Aidan Bowles and his partner, Jack Welles, had opened a successful Irish pub of the same name in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and were looking to a number of other cities to expand.

Their direct Irish connection was Assistant Manager Eoin O’Kelly, a native of Limerick. One special touch was the renovation with “a Dublin-based design firm, Sonas, responsible for Jack Quinn’s look” (Amy Culbertson, “Pubs in Clover-Dining Spotlight Series, Cincinnati Post, September 24, 1998, p. 60).

Molly Malone’s, Covington (Photo by Amy Malventano)

This article highlights the Irish nature of the menu, featuring the traditional fish and chips, “already a favorite,” and even the Traditional Irish Breakfast; the second floor hosting local Celtic-flavored brands and even the prospect of ceilis (Irish dances) (Culbertson).

One year later, not atypically around St. Patrick’s Day, Jack Quinn’s Irish Ale House and Pub was interviewed about its pending “Whooley” (Irish party). It was O’Kelly, promoted to General Manager by then, who talked about the live music, including “their own pipe and drum band.” Most important, though, was his observation that: “It isn’t just the entertainment that we’re proud of, it’s the fun of the place, the character of the food and the quality of the people. We have something special here.”

Typical of their generosity, Jack Quinn’s was collecting donations all weekend “for the Shriner’s Hospital” (Jan Perry, “Jack Quinn’s Celebrating St. Patrick’s, Cincinnati Post, March 11, 1999, p. 62).

Molly Malone’s, Covington (Photo by Amy Malventano)

Sadly, however, just short of its eighth anniversary, Jack Quinn’s closed in May 2006. About a year later, an Irish Pub out of Louisville called Molly Malones (7-years-old and not the Molly Malone’s in Pleasant Ridge, Ohio) opened a pub in the building as a sister operation. Greg Paeth quoted one of the new owners, Taugh O’Callaghan, as saying: “We have staff from Ireland, and we want to provide a personal touch. If someone comes in, we’re going to know their name” (Greg Paeth, “Covington Restaurants Open with New Names,” Cincinnati Post, August 21, 2007, p. 18). The future looked bright. In the meantime, the resurrected Irish pub became an important part of Covington’s growth — with its popular St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and involvement in community projects. As an example, in support of Thomas More University’s Annual Irish Music Event in February as a warm-up for St. Patrick’s Day, Molly Malone’s donated food (Irish Stew) and drinks in support of the project.

One reviewer, Caitlin Burchill, had much to say about the “extensive Irish cuisine and more,” the many flat-screen TVs featuring Premier League Soccer and International Rugby competitions, and the pub’s 29 beers, 14 on tap and 15 in the bottle, and the generous prices during the “happy hour, 4 to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday, which features $1 off all import drafts” (Caitlin Burchill, “Your Life Out to Eat – Molly Malone’s,” Cincinnati Enquirer, September 16, 2007, p. 66).

Happily, Molly Malone’s has flourished since, is a major stop on the Riverside Food Tours (Roebling Point Food Tour), and a bustling stop before and after Cincinnati Reds and Bengals home games. The Irish—and their food and drink are well-represented in Covington.

Dr. Raymond G. Hebert is Professor of History and Executive Director of the William T. Robinson III Institute for Religious Liberty at Thomas More University. He is the leading author of Thomas More University at 100: Purpose, People, and Pathways to Student Success (2023). The book can be purchased by contacting the Thomas More University Bookstore at 859-344-3335. Dr. Hebert can be contacted at hebertr@thomasmore.edu

Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD is Editor of the “Our Rich History” weekly series and Professor of History and Gender Studies at Northern Kentucky University (NKU). He can be contacted at tenkottep@nku.edu. Tenkotte also serves as Director of the ORVILLE Project (Ohio River Valley Innovation Library and Learning Enrichment). For more information see https://orvillelearning.org/


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