Molly Malone's Makes Mark Where Pink Flamingo Once Was

He was 26 when he moved to Tampa from Dublin, Ireland, first crashing with friends in Riverside Heights and eventually settling on Davis Islands.

John Nolan found work as a bartender at Four Green Fields, staying there for 18 years before making the decision to open a bar called Molly Malone's last year where the Pink Flamingo Cafe used to operate on Davis Islands. 

"I'm going to give a good shot to make it work," says Nolan on a rainy afternoon at the bar, 304 E. Davis Islands. 

The pub offers indoor and outdoor seating, beers ranging from Red Stripe to Guinness Black Lager, and a full-service menu that serves three meals a day. Crab cakes benedict, chicken salad on raisin bread, and Irish pub staples like fish and chips and corned beef and cabbage are options for patrons.

But Nolan's ascent to Davis Islands business owner wasn't overnight.

Upon arrival to Tampa, he admittedly worked a variety of odd jobs, from construction to lawn maintenance.

"I tried my hand at everything," he said, jokingly.

A bartender friend suggested he try a job that at least offered air conditioning, so he got a job at Four Green Fields.

"That turned into a home away from home," he said. "It's like something you see in Ireland."

His departure wasn't a contentious one. Nolan says he was sent a bouquet of flowers from the folks at Four Green Fields after opening Molly Malone's this year.
To keep the spirit of the Pink Flamingo going, of the 12 staff members at Molly Malone's, Nolan says five of them used to work there.

"We are trying to fit into the community here," says Nolan. "Where we grew up, it was a local place where you can go bring the kids or the dogs down for a walk. I want that feeling here. You can come meet a neighbor."

Part of that culture are the music sessions Nolan is promoting at the bar - a Sunday tradition in Dublin - using the help of amateur musicians around Tampa Bay.

While Nolan lines up musicians and attracts locals, he's also prepared to explain an obvious question.

Who's Molly Malone?

"She's a woman who used to be seen around the streets of Dublin in 1816," Nolan says. "She pushed a wheelbarrow around the streets, selling cockles and mussels."

For more information about the bar, or to find out more about performing there, call 813-304-2777.

Have you been to Molly Malone's? Tell us in the comments.