An older man, with a twinkle in his blue eyes, is chatting with friends and enjoying a drink at a charming Irish bar in Farmington.
"I'm drinking Jameson Redbreast 12-year-old Irish Whiskey... ah, the best there is," said the man. His name is John O'Rourke and he emigrated from Ireland in the mid-1900s. He has been coming to this bar for a long time.
"It is a nice place, friendly, and I get very well treated. Of course, they treat all of us old guys, well, me, I get special treatment," he said chuckling to himself. You see, he used to visit the bar with his brother-in-law, John Cowley until they both decided to buy it back in 1972, along with Cowley's wife, Marie.
"My mother would say he got into a business that he knew well," said Greg Cowley, John Cowley's son.
The Cowleys and O'Rourke operated it for a while together, then the Cowleys took it over, eventually passing the restaurant down to their sons who renovated it to make it look more like the bars in Ireland. They have two bars, one located upstairs and one downstairs, both of which are from Ireland. Stations of the Cross from old Irish churches are used to display liquor behind the upstairs bar, and Irish tapestries along with family pictures and memorabilia are hung on the walls.
In terms of food, they have traditional Irish fair, like Sheppard's pie and soda bread that are made using old family recipes. They also have typical American bar food and are well known for their salmon dishes. They have even come up with some new Irish creations like their Irish spring rolls which are filled with corned beef, sauerkraut, potatoes, mozzarella, and 1000s island dressing.
"We're are proud to be an Irish family that actually owns an Irish pub," said Greg.
Cowley and Sons Irish Pub is located at 33338 Grand River Avenue in Farmington.