Frank McGovern opened his tavern in 1936 selecting 58 New Street right in the central ward of downtown Newark. Whether by coincidence or not, McGovern’s also opened around the same time Newark’s St. Patrick’s Day parade was reborn (Sunday, March 15, 1936) after a long hiatus. Call it the luck of the Irish as McGovern’s Tavern has not only survived and grown, it stands today as one of New Jersey’s oldest and most celebrated Irish pubs. Founded on the tradition of giving your patrons a generous portion of hope, hospitality, and happiness, the pub thrived in the midst of the post-depression era. This retrospective has ups and downs, close calls, and love stories, but the once two-door entrance is now part of Newark’s transformation. The Mr. Local History Project opens these doors and welcomes you to the history of McGovern’s Tavern in Newark, New Jersey.
As with all Mr. Local History retrospectives, we often update the post when we learn stories and are sent photos from our community. We will continue to expand this piece as information becomes available. The story will be updated as we learn more about the family and the history. So please come back!!!!
Have a story or image to share? Post it in the comments section at the end of the post.
The Beginnings – Irish Flock to America and Newark, New Jersey
Our story has to start with the Irish. Irish immigration is strongly linked to Jersey. While the Irish have been coming to America for centuries, we wanted to introduce the very first immigrant to come from Ireland through Ellis Island was a seventeen-year-old Irish girl. On December 20, 1891, Annie Moore and her two brothers departed from Queenstown, County Cork, Ireland, and set sail aboard the steamship Nevada. This young lass was the first of the 12 million who sailed past the Statue of Liberty and started their American stories at Ellis Island in New York City.
“There’s no country in the world that Irish people feel more at home in than America.” Many a man just in from Ellis Island and other ports of entry slept on the pool tables in the back room at McGovern’s. No one was ever turned away.
Frank McGovern
Today, more than 15 percent of Jersey residents, or about 1.3 million people, claim at least partial Irish ancestry. So many Irish laborers settled north of Newark in the 1760s that the area was called “Irishtown.” A century later, after an influx of Irish Catholics fleeing the potato famine, part of Newark’s Ironbound section was dubbed “Little Ireland.”
Besides serving as a place for ‘refreshments’ and as a social club, McGovern’s Tavern in the late 1930s was also a place of refuge for the Irish-born who came to America. Many a man just in from Ellis Island and other ports of entry slept on the pool tables in the back room at McGovern’s. No one was ever turned away.
The West Ward of Newark, New Jersey, once a predominantly Irish, Polish, and Ukrainian neighborhood, includes Vailsburg, Ivy Hill, West Side, Fairmount, and Lower Roseville. The area is now home to neighborhoods composed primarily of Latinos, African Americans, and Caribbean Americans, as many of the Irish Americans moved outside Newark to North, west, and South Jersey, but many remain.
Founders Jimmy Howard & Frank J. McGovern
Born in 1902 in Swanhnbar, County Cavan, Ireland about 75 miles northwest of Dublin, Ireland, Frank J. McGovern emigrated to Newark in the 1920s. During his first job as a construction worker, he helped build Port Newark and Newark International Airport. Then, in 1935, Frank McGovern, working at a Ford assembly plant, bought the struggling bar in 1936, during the Depression, along with his friend and business associate Jimmy (James) Howard. James Patrick Howard most likely met Frank in Newark as Jim was originally from Nurney Demense, County Kildare, Ireland about an hour southwest of Dublin, Ireland.
As you enter McGovern’s, you feel at home immediately. It’s like a history lesson on the walls, telling stories of the people and events that have made Newark what it is. It tells The history of the Irish Americans who, after fleeing hunger, poverty, and oppression, helped build Newark. McGovern’s doors were always open.
We got a note from Eileen Devine Farrell, Frank’s niece, who set the record straight. Here are Frank McGovern’s siblings. As you can see, a true Irish family – 9 brothers and sisters:
- Frank: born May 1902, died November 1989
- Thomas: born June 1903, died July 1969
- Edward: born April 1905, died March 1980
- Mary Ellen: born, July 1906, died January 1945
- Margaret: born December 1908, died January 1999
- Elizabeth: born April 1912, died August 1961
- Patrick: born May 1915, died August 1987
- Theresa: born April 1918, died March 1993
- Frederick: born October 1920, died September 1949
Frank McGovern and Bill Scully
One of those new arrivals to Frank McGovern’s door in 1958 was William “Bill” Scully, who began working there at 20 years old after he hopped off the steamship Sylvania over at Port 92 in New York City. The RMS Sylvania was one of four lines of the Saxonia class cruise ships, an ocean liner built in 1957 by John Brown & Co (Clydebank), in Glasgow, for the United Kingdom-based shipping company Cunard Line. Sylvania was the last Cunard Line vessel built specifically for transatlantic crossings. The 608′ steamship’s passenger accommodations were divided into just two classes, first and tourist, with the tourist class occupying the majority of the ship. The typical voyage left from Southampton, England to New York City. Guessing Billy was in tourist class.
Billy of Galway, Ireland, landed in America on Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14, 1958. That might have been a premonition, as three years after he arrived in Newark and McGovern’s Tavern, Scully met, fell in love, married the boss’ niece Maura McGovern in 1961, and became indispensable to the bar. As they say, the rest is history.
Audience Question:
SOLVED! Thanks Therese Boulanger, Maura’s daughter. Maura was Frank’s niece, his brother Edward’s daughter. Frank and Catherine had no children of their own.
MLH think’s Bill Scully’s wife Maura McGovern Scully would be Frank McGovern’s brother’s daughter (niece) right? Records show Frank had only two sisters, Margaret McBrien (Long Island) and Tessie McKieran (Swanlinbar, Ireland) so we’re a bit confused.
Thanks to Maura’s daughter Therese, she read this story and confirmed it – Maura’s father was Edward, not Frank :).
The Billy Scully Era (1968 – 2001)
Bill Scully would continue the McGovern traditions as a steward of the pour and everything Irish. For the next 35 years, Scully kept the lights on and the doors open and continued to provide a consistent Irish flare to the Newark community, continuing to be a favorite of the Newark firefighters, police, and the area college community.
“I worked part time here for a number of years. In 1968, Frank McGovern decided to give me the opportunity to buy it. I owned it for almost 35 years then sold it to my nephews. They would be grand nephews of the original owner.
Bill Scully
All in the family!”
On July 10, 1968, Frank sold the tavern to Billy & Maura Scully, and Frank and his wife Catherine retired to Manasquan Shores (Wall Township), New Jersey. Looking back at Frank’s life, it was an inspirational support to everything Irish. McGovern was the grand marshal in I960 and founder of Newark’s St Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. McGovern was also the founder of the Frank McGovern Association, which helped young Irish immigrants establish themselves in New Jersey. McGovern was also a member of the Cryan Association, Giblin, and Independent Irish ethnic societies and a member of the Newark Tavern Owners Association along with the New Jersey Liquor Dealers Association.
Make no mistake, keeping the bar functioning in a changing Newark was not easy for Scully. Many credit Bill’s appreciation to Newark’s finest and bravest and reaching out to the college communities for keeping the bar open as a vital gathering spot for the locals. Spread across the bar are memories of fallen heroes, firefighter helmets, and police photos that share the history of the Irish commitment to law enforcement and fire prevention in Newark. In 2010, Scully was honored by NJ Representative Bill Pascrell in the United States House of Representatives.
Bill worked for Prudential, joined the Army, and then came back to Newark to support the Irish community including the Independent Irish, the Peter Smith School of Irish dancing, The Giblin Association, The Cryan Association, The Shillelagh Club, The Irish American Association of the Oranges, Project Children, the Emerald Society, the F.O.P. Local #12, and the Sheriff’s Department P.B.A.. Maura was honored as the Deputy Grand Marshal of the Newark Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in 1971. And we can’t forget Bill and Maura are the Standard Bearers of the Frank McGovern Association.
Madam Speaker, I ask that you join our colleagues, the Scullys’ family and friends, the members of the Frank McGovern Association, everyone who has enjoyed a visit to McGovern’s, and me in recognizing the contributions of Bill and Maura Scully.
April 20, 2010 – US House of Representative Bill Pascrell (D-NJ 9th district-Paterson) to the house chamber.
Newark’s Changing Demographic
Over the years, Scully admits that Newark’s demographics have changed. ” At that time, Rutgers was only a couple of small buildings; NJIT was the same. We didn’t even have Essex County College. That’s probably the biggest change, I would think,” said Scully. If you look at the campuses they have now compared to then, the chances are that everything will get bigger. They’re going to have to get some parking, though.”
New Street was also just off the path of the 1967 Newark riots, and McGovern’s survived. After the riots set fire to the hopes of many businesses in the area, the turmoil of that summer took its toll on Frank McGovern. In 1968, Frank decided to sell to his longtime associate Bill Scully, who was only 30 then.
Honoring the Past – Building For the Future
The three closed the bar in 2018 for a year and a half to expand and renovate the business and secure its future in the 21st century.
After closing the doors in June 2018 for the first time in 82 years, they got to work to take McGovern’s Tavern on an expansive journey. For the next 16 months, that original footprint grew to what may be one of the most impressive transformations in Newark bar history.
McGovern’s Tavern Community Photo Album
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Closed for renovations in June 2018 for the first time in its 82-year history, McGovern’s finally re-opened for business in November 2019. Bill Scully,the Irish immigrant, teller of tales, well of wit, unofficial Mayor of Newark, former owner and longtime bartender at McGovern’s Tavern, was back doing his job with speed, skill, and grace on the day the beloved bar reopened.
When the tavern reopened in late 2019, it had a bit of bad luck. No one knew that a worldwide pandemic would hit America, and it did. But now it is ready for the future.
”This is a point upon which generations can agree, each group taking solace in the enduring qualities of Newark’s McGovern’s Tavern. Make no mistake – “There’s no country in the world where Irish people feel more at home than America. McGovern’s is important to the James Street Commons Historic District, Newark’s downtown neighborhood. Voted one of the best bars in America by Esquire Magazine in 2011, no one denies that McGovern’s is a Newark landmark and a local treasure.
“My mother and father met in that back room,” standing underneath the picture of his parents, Jeremiah and Mary, as he stopped by McGovern’s from his nearby job. “Remember, the new Newark has to fit in to us because we have never left it over the years. We’re part of the fabric of Newark, and we always will be.”
Gerry lenihan – a son of the Vailsburg neighborhood of Newark
And YES, that caricature is Bill Scully!
Additional Information
Newark is one of the oldest cities in the United States. Its location at the mouth of the Passaic River has made the city’s waterfront an integral part of the Port of New York and New Jersey. Newark was granted a royal charter on April 27, 1713. It was incorporated on February 21, 1798; the name of the city is thought to derive from Newark-on-Trent, England. Nicknamed “Brick City,” the Central Ward forms the present-day heart of Newark and includes 26 public schools, two police precincts, including headquarters, four firehouses, and one branch library.
Interactive map – Click Here
After a long hiatus, the first Newark St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 15, 1936. The actual first parade was on March 17, 1834. The revived parade’s first Grand Marshal was an Irishman and former Mayor of Newark, Charles P. Gillen. The parade boasted a line of march with nearly 30,000 as a squadron of planes roared overhead. The Newark parade has continued since 1936 on a yearly basis and was only canceled three times: WW2 (1943-1946), a snowstorm in the late 1960s, and COVID-19 (2020-2021). It is the oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade in New Jersey. The largest and oldest of them all is the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade, first held in 1762. However, New Jersey has the most St. Patrick’s Day parades in the United States (26 this year).
McGovern’s Tavern, 58-60 New Street, Newark, (973) 643-3984. – Open 6 days a week (Closed Sundays)
- Directions (About 8 blocks north of “The Rock” Pru Center)
- McGovern’s website
- The Frank McGovern Association
- Ironbound Irish Association
- McGovern’s, A Newark Landmark (Historical and Pictorial narrative) by Victor L. Dupras
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Frank J. McGovern passed on Saturday, November 18, 1989, at 87. His wife, Catherine Martin, passed in 1981 at the age of 81. Frank had two sisters, Margaret McBrien (Long Island) and Tessie McKieran (Swanlinbar, Ireland).
Frank will always be an Irish legend in Newark, New Jersey.
More Newark Iconic Retrospectives
Michael J Dobrzelecki
Story 4- Back in the 1970s, McGoverns’s tiny kitchen was usually manned by an older Irish lady named Mary. Her brogue was so thick, you could cut it with a knife and spread it on Irish soda bread. Now, Mary could be a bit abrupt at times, but that was usually a result of how self-entitled yuppies or other self-absorbed individuals treated her, giving special orders on how they wanted their food prepared – big mistake. She let them have it with both barrels cutting them down to size in a nano-second. The people she liked, however, were treated with TLC. She was especially fond of the Rutgers and NJIT students who frequented McGovern’s to get something to eat as well as drink. I knew that I could get a full dinner there for a measly $3, and with funds being limited during my college years because my father passed away a month before I graduated high school, McGovern’s was a godsend. And when Mary brought me my plate, she always had a kind thing to say, and I felt like she was treating me like I was part of her family – and in a way I was, and so were many other urban college kids in Newark that discovered the wonders of McGovern’s. If there was ever a candidate for “Official Grandmother of McGoverns”, Mary would be the runaway choice, IMHO.
Jaynor Diaz
The fact that the old McGoverns was able to attract people to the bar is a testament to how good it is… because it was not super inviting… new building just works better for attracting people to the bar
Arlette Cascella
I remember McGoverns. Had a job in the Hall of Records downtown. In my 30’s met people from the West Ward, Vailsburg. First time I met anyone who changed their last name to sound more American. Being from the North Ward, didn’t know people that changed their last name. (.lots of Italians)
Bob Gonzalez
What happened at McGoverns stays at McGoverns
Roy Persson
McGovern’s Tavern, on St.Paddy’s day, was a magical, joyful and memorable event.
Peace and good will to you and all who visited this hallowed establishment.
Bobby O’Conchobhair
I been drinking in there since September 1986 after getting hired as a Newark cop. My parents met there in the 60’s. I unfortunately met my ex there in the 90’s. Have been going there several times a week since 1986 except during the renovation period.
Don Hebert
I remember one St. Paddy’s Day when a mounted police officer rode his horse into the bar area.
Michael J Dobrzelecki
First went to McG’s in 1973 when I started at Rutger’s Newark and joined Tau Delta Phi Fraternity, and have a lot of memories of this fine Irish pub. Here’ a couple: On Wednesday nights back in the 1970s & 1980s, Scully let the St. Columcille United Gaelic Pipe Band, headed up then by Pat McGonigal, practice in the back room. Around 11 or 11:15pm the band would march out around the square bar once, then settle in by the kitchen side and do a set of 3 or 4 songs. I’m sure that the sound level well-exceeded the the OSHA recommended 85 dba at 3ft, but nobody was worried about that – the crowd loved the pipes! I used to bring my dates there as a test – some gals loved it – others not so much. If she didn’t love bagpipe music, I’d be looking for another woman shortly thereafter. I brought one pretty gal from work on a regular basis, and she has been my wife for 37 years now. Pat McGonigal played at my wedding.
You need to check out “The Deep Inn” acorss the street from East Side HS in the Ironbound for your next topic. The bar used to be Rucki’s Polish Funeral Home, was one of the final 10 candidates for Best Bar in New Jersey before the pandemic and that’s just for starters.
I use to be a regular Sunday night visitor and always saw Jimmy Howard participated in the dance in back room with my buddies from Vailsburg. I met my wife there in 1958 and married in 1960. Come back as much as possible on our anniversary and are celebrating again with our visit February 28th. We are married 63 years February 27th. It is always great to see or talk to Bill Scully who we have known for so long. He is a true friend and always has been there for the Irish. God bless Frank McGovern , Jimmy Howard and Bill for bringing happiness and Irish life to us all. Carry on the torch nephew’s and success to you.
Missing from McGovern’s article re: Frank McGovern’s siblings, here they are……I am his sister Mary Ellen’s daughter: Frank : born May 1902, died November 1989
Thomas: born June 1903, died July 1969
Edward: born April 1905, died March 1980
Mary Ellen: born, July 1906, died January 1945
Margaret: born December 1908, died January 1999
Elizabeth: born April 1912, died August 1961
Patrick: born May 1915, died August 1987
Theresa: born April 1918, died March 1993
Frederick: born October 1920, died September 1949
How awesome are you. Be there Friday for St. Patrick’s Day?
I am Frank McGovern’s niece Therese, Margaret’s daughter. Maura Scully was indeed Franks niece. Maura’s father was Edward. Thank you cousin Eileen Farrell for sharing the family history. Happy St Patrick’s Day to all☘️
I met my future wife there in the fall of 1955 at the corner table diagonal from the bandstand. She was a beautiful Italian girl who stole my heart at first glance. We were married 50 years when she died at 74. I never met a suitable replacement.
Mr.localhistoryproject Well, you have now touched on a great subject, one which not only touches on the history of the Irish in Newark, but even better, a story of how different ethnic groups have progressed socially over the decades to join forces in common causes – in this case the sons of Irish and Polish immigrants. Joe Downar is the son of a Polish WWII veteran who served in the Polish 2nd Corps during the Italian Campaign. While the immigrants of different European nations initially remained Balkanized, associating mostly with their own kind, Down Neck, like a lot of neighborhoods, was a churning melting pot, with each group adding their unique ingredients into the American stew. Being exposed to other cultures and traditions made us all the richer for it. In Joe’s case, he made a lot of friends with many different people, especially his Irish pals. Invited to various social affairs, he eventually became part of the Newark St.Paddy’s Day Parade Committee, and for past several decades served as the traffic coordinator for the event. He’s a natural leader, and a great organizer. I sometimes joke around with him that it takes a Pole to keep those Irishman organized on that special day. A few years back they made him a Deputy Marshall at the parade that year. Ask anyone in the Ironbound Irish Association about Joe Downar, and I’m sure they’ll sing his praises. I certainly share his affinity for the Irish, and have been a regular at McGovern’s in Newark since 1973. The two ethnic groups have a lot in common – they’re both mostly a Catholic country, both have persisted and fought for centuries against their oppressors – for the Irish it was England – for the Poles, it was virtually everybody, especially the Germans, the Russians, the Austrians, the Tartars, the Mongol Horde and the Turks (Hell! Poland even had to fight a war against a Swedish invasion for Christ’s sake!), we both venerate our ethnic cultural arts and history and we both like to sing, dance and enjoy adult beverages. That’s a solid basis for a perfect blending of two European cultures. That’s an angle you should explore, too, namely not only how the Irish maintained their culture after emigrating to America, but how they became part of it by blending with other nationalities and ethnic group. That IS the story of Newark, a city of immigrants, starting with the Puritans that broke away from the stifling atmosphere in New England and settled in Newark, and they were followed by successive waves of new immigrants over the next 300+ years. That’s the real story of America. (via Facebook)