Fergie's is a real Irish pub in the true sense of the word; No TVs, great conversation, and now, great trad tunes in the form of an open session Saturdays from 4 to 7. Led by fiddler Brendan Callahan (www.fiddleguru.net, composer of many fine tunes) and guitarist Darin Kelly (no website, haven't written any tunes), we expect the great tunes to be equalled only by the great craic.
Hey Darin--glad it's off to a good start--I will try to make it down on a Saturday real soon--I have spread the word as well to a couple of friends and to my teacher (Kathy DeAngelo) and her husband Dennis. You may know them.
Ok, I finally made it to this session! An intimate group--about 5 including me, but I mostly just lisenend and learned being somewhat of a beginner on fiddle. Although I was invited to start a couple of sets myself a couple times. Very gracious and friendly people. A little smoky, but not exceedingly so. Nice bar, too.
Just went to this session for the first time, and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. Nice little atmosphere. People were very appreciative. Food was quite good-- fish and chips actually tasted like real food, not something you find in the frozen food section of a supermarket. Parking is convenient (adjacent to the pub), but expensive ($14 for any amount of time over an hour). Probably cheaper parking elsewhere that isn't too far away, but unless you're familiar with Philly, suck it up and park in the lot. Again, nice session.
Ok, just went back to this session for the first time in a few months. Feeling a little more comfy with Philly, I drove around some and found cheaper parking. Just two blocks away on Sansom and 10th, there is all day parking for $6. Supposedly there is also $6 parking on Sansom and 13th, but I didn't check that out.
Oh, and the shepherds pie is also very good. Very hearty as it should be and well worth the $8.75 (salad included). Really nice session today. Good tunes and good food makes Jason a happy man
Well, almost six years into the Fergie's session and it's still going strong as ever. The tunes are always top-drawer and the craic second to none. Locals and out-of-towners agree this session is right up there with the best in the U.S.
Beginning in November, a new era will begin at the Fergie's session, following the bittersweet departure of The Big Man, Brendan Callahan, who will travel north to peddle his wares in the fine city of Boston. Fergie's will continue on the same weekly schedule, but now will feature a rotating cast of some local favorites (Paddy O'Neill, Kevin McGillian, John McGillian, John Brennan, Brian Boyce, etc) as well as occasional out of town guests (Sean McComiskey, Tony DeMarco, Gráinne Murphy, etc). I'll still be holding down the fort as the chief backer, and I'll do my best to keep everybody up to date on our featured guests.
When you're in Philly, be sure to stop by... Always good to see a fresh face.
A real Irish pub, great tunes
Fergie's is a real Irish pub in the true sense of the word; No TVs, great conversation, and now, great trad tunes in the form of an open session Saturdays from 4 to 7. Led by fiddler Brendan Callahan (www.fiddleguru.net, composer of many fine tunes) and guitarist Darin Kelly (no website, haven't written any tunes), we expect the great tunes to be equalled only by the great craic.
# Posted on January 27th 2003 by darinkelly
By the way...
... I should mention that this session probably falls into the "moderately advanced" level category.
# Posted on January 27th 2003 by darinkelly
Hey Darin--glad it's off to a good start--I will try to make it down on a Saturday real soon--I have spread the word as well to a couple of friends and to my teacher (Kathy DeAngelo) and her husband Dennis. You may know them.
# Posted on January 27th 2003 by Andee
Ok, I finally made it to this session! An intimate group--about 5 including me, but I mostly just lisenend and learned being somewhat of a beginner on fiddle. Although I was invited to start a couple of sets myself a couple times. Very gracious and friendly people. A little smoky, but not exceedingly so. Nice bar, too.
# Posted on March 8th 2003 by Andee
This is a nice seisiun. Plenty of tunes in friendly surroundings, good food, good craic. Usually 5-7 players. One of my favorites.
# Posted on January 31st 2004 by manhattan
Philadelphia Trivia
The answer to the "Philadelphia Trivia" question posed at this session on 6/5/04 concerning the mysterious statue at 16th and the Parkway is...
"The Prophet" by Jacob Lipkin.
See it at:
http://www.ushistory.org/districts/parkway/proph.htm
and
http://www.centercityphila.org/home/statuelighting.aspx (scroll down and click the title)
# Posted on June 6th 2004 by grymater
Just went to this session for the first time, and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. Nice little atmosphere. People were very appreciative. Food was quite good-- fish and chips actually tasted like real food, not something you find in the frozen food section of a supermarket. Parking is convenient (adjacent to the pub), but expensive ($14 for any amount of time over an hour). Probably cheaper parking elsewhere that isn't too far away, but unless you're familiar with Philly, suck it up and park in the lot. Again, nice session.
# Posted on August 29th 2004 by Jason G
The hummus is muy bueno, too.
You forgot to mention the excellent wait staff!
Glad you liked the fish and chips, Jason. ;^)
See you soon.
# Posted on August 30th 2004 by grymater
Ok, just went back to this session for the first time in a few months. Feeling a little more comfy with Philly, I drove around some and found cheaper parking. Just two blocks away on Sansom and 10th, there is all day parking for $6. Supposedly there is also $6 parking on Sansom and 13th, but I didn't check that out.
Oh, and the shepherds pie is also very good. Very hearty as it should be and well worth the $8.75 (salad included). Really nice session today. Good tunes and good food makes Jason a happy man
# Posted on January 9th 2005 by Jason G
A new era begins...
Well, almost six years into the Fergie's session and it's still going strong as ever. The tunes are always top-drawer and the craic second to none. Locals and out-of-towners agree this session is right up there with the best in the U.S.
Beginning in November, a new era will begin at the Fergie's session, following the bittersweet departure of The Big Man, Brendan Callahan, who will travel north to peddle his wares in the fine city of Boston. Fergie's will continue on the same weekly schedule, but now will feature a rotating cast of some local favorites (Paddy O'Neill, Kevin McGillian, John McGillian, John Brennan, Brian Boyce, etc) as well as occasional out of town guests (Sean McComiskey, Tony DeMarco, Gráinne Murphy, etc). I'll still be holding down the fort as the chief backer, and I'll do my best to keep everybody up to date on our featured guests.
When you're in Philly, be sure to stop by... Always good to see a fresh face.
Good health,
DK
# Posted on October 21st 2008 by darinkelly