Fogherty's Bar on Smithdown Road, a pub where snooker legend John Parrott is said to have learned his trade, has been at the heart of the community for more than a century. Co-owner Stephen Sloan, 71, from Wavertree, has spent two decades behind the scenes at the venue, which has seen generations of customers come through its doors, with some regulars drinking there for 50 years.
A century of history on Smithdown Road
The building has stood since about 1902. It was originally called The Dudley, and in '95 or '96, during the Irish pub boom, it was renamed Fogherty's. The pub has been refurbished a couple of times but remains the same at its core. The function room was once the church hall for St Barnabas Church, on the corner of Penny Lane, now where flats stand at the front.
Before it became Fogherty's, the building housed a snooker room. John Parrott used to drink there years ago, and it is where he learned his trade.
From milkman to licensee
Stephen's route into the pub industry was unusual. He started as a milkman, then a bus driver, then a cab driver, before becoming a licensee. His friends Thomas Johnson and Pete Hughes owned Fogherty's, and when they bought the Storesdale Pub in Allerton, Stephen went there to manage it for two years. When Pete decided to leave Fogherty's, Stephen came in and bought their share.
“I just fancied a change and wanted to get off the taxis and do something else, and it worked in my favour to be honest,” he said.
Live music and a 'presence' in the pub
Stephen, a former drummer, is into live music and has three or four acts a week playing on the stage in the pub, covering all different types of music. The function room, once a kids' disco on Friday nights, is now used for weddings, funerals, and birthday parties.
He also recounted an unusual encounter: “I was locking up one night, and I stayed there this particular night because I was getting a delivery the next day, and I heard a voice call out my name, 'Stephen,' and then it was it. I said, 'Help yourself to a pint, I'm going to bed.'” His daughter, who cleans the place throughout the week, goes cold all the time in there and feels a presence.
Community and support
The best-selling drinks at Fogherty's are Carling, followed by Guinness. Stephen praised the local community: “They're just brilliant. A lot of people travel to the pub because of its music. I do have a good handful of regulars who support me all the time. We do get a large Irish contingency in here quite often, but it's a pub for everybody.”
He noted that some customers have been coming for 50 years, even before it was Fogherty's, and that people love the atmosphere, with everyone up dancing. He highlighted the bar staff, who have been there for years, and said the pub is a safe place, with no tolerance for drugs.
Stephen encouraged people to support their local pub: “You need to support your local pub, otherwise you'll lose it. Just keep coming in and enjoying it because you get good service and live music for free.” He acknowledged that habits have changed since Covid, which nearly closed the pub down, but they managed to get through it and are up and running again.
