For St. Patrick’s Day, check out some historic Irish bars

• Reprints

Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, so find yourself a designated driver and go on a pub crawl. And let the recently released book, Chicago’s Historic Irish Pubs (Arcadia Press) help you choose where to go.

Allison Hantschel and I wrote the book, and it isn’t intended to be a Celtic Michelin Guide. Rather, it looks at the role Irish drinking places of all sorts have played in the city’s history.

Here is some information about some of the spots discussed in the book, all well worth the drive, if not for the beer, for the stories you might hear:

5th Province, Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 North Knox, (773) 282-7035; irish-american.org. A converted public school holds this pub and all else that the Irish American Heritage Center has to offer, from concerts, to classes in Irish culture, music and dance, to a library and even a ballroom. If he happens to be working when you go, ask bartender Mark Hackett how to pour a perfect pint — and to explain to you what a “99” is. (At 7 p.m. on March 11, Hantschel and I will be at the pub talking about the book and signing copies.)

Chief O’Neill’s Pub & Restaurant, 3471 N. Elston, (773) 583-3066; chiefoneillspub.com. If you’re out on a Sunday, the Chief’s is a good place to go for brunch. The pub opened in 1999 and is named after Francis O’Neill, who was Chicago’s police chief from 1901 to 1905. A collector of traditional Irish music, O’Neill devoted his life to preserving and publishing the tunes from his native Ireland.

Butch McGuire’s Chicago Irish Pub, 20 W. Division, (312) 337-9080; butchmcguires.com. Butch’s son Bobby still runs this place, which very well may have been the nation’s first singles’ bar. Butch used to have house parties that attracted stewardesses, which led to opening the bar in 1961, and helped make Rush Street a party destination for all sorts of people, from businessman in town for conventions to Hugh Hefner and Harry Caray, who were known to stop by for a drink or two.

Kitty O’Shea’s, Chicago Hilton and Towers, 720 S. Michigan, (312) 294-6860. If you’ve been to any new Irish pub pretty much anywhere in the world but Ireland in the last 25 years that tries to match the ambiance of places in the Auld Sod, it more than likely owes a debt of gratitude to Kitty’s, which opened in 1986. Eamonn Brady still manages this pub, which is a hotbed of activity. Ask him about his first trip to Chicago in 1970, when he and his family’s band had their instruments stolen — and promptly replaced by Mayor Richard J. Daley.

Shinnick’s, 3758 S. Union, (773) 376-3525; shinnicks.com. There’s a lot of family history inside this unassuming neighborhood bar. Owner Celine Flynn’s grandmother was born in the apartment above the tavern in 1896, and her grandfather bought the business right after Prohibition. The 1800s-era wooden back bar and a cash register that only goes up to $7 testify to the past, but the future’s to be found in the young customers who flock from U.S. Cellular Field on game day.

Cork and Kerry, 10614 S. Western, (773) 445-2675; corkandkerrychicago.com. They call it “the Pig,” the dark remnants of the speakeasy that once resided below this cheery pub that now serves good beer right out in the open. It’s known for its family-friendly atmosphere as well as raucous parties during St. Patrick’s Day week.

Healy’s Westside, 7321 W. Madison St., Forest Park, (708)366-4277; healyswestside.com. Healy brothers Terry and Dick started tending bar at their father’s place at Madison and Kostner in the late 1950s. Their customers were colorful, including a fellow nicknamed “Two Pants,” a suit salesman they said always tried to sell other customers a second pair of pants “just in case.” Nowadays Healy’s is located in suburban Forest Park, and the customers are a little tamer, though the conversation’s just as thick.

Chicago’s Historic Irish Pubs co-author Allison Hantschel contributed to this article.