Aoife Clancy with local Newport Legend Jim McGrath
Here's Rhode Island's own Olympic silver medalist Elizabeth Beisel providing violin accompaniment to Eoin Egan on "Fisherman's Blues" by the Waterboys.
Regulars Jack and Debbie are patiently sitting this one out.
In the background sitting at the table on the left is Ann, a devoted listener at the session since we started in 2006.
Corey Chisel and his band during the Newport Folk Festival of 2010.
Some ex-regulars listen to Irish native Seamus McConnell. Fud Benson is patiently waiting to join in on the fiddle. (RIP Fud. The photo is from 2008. Fud passed away in 2024.) Next to Fud is Tom Maguire, the bard of Rhode Island, a playwright and a regular singer at the Fastnet session and numerous other sessions for many years. (RIP Tom. Tom passed away in 2022.)
Who is the blond in the beret, behind the blond facing away from the camera? That's Christina Aguilera, listening to her RI friends back home for the holidays.
Here is a Rhode Islander and a singer who has been an annual visitor since our early days.
Currently, in 2023, Mike Rivkees is the lead singer and a songwriter for the Rumjacks, an Australian band,
that tours worldwide and frequently shares the stage with other bands like The Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly.
Also you can see in this photo Jack Wright on the accordeon, along with Greg Jonic, on the uilleann pipes.
At the top of this page is a photo of the same guy who is singing with the guitar in this photo. This photo is from February 2025 at the Fastnet session.
It's easier now for Jim to sit at a table and sing.
I enjoy accompanying Jim on his songs. Most of the time the entire bar will sing along with Jim.
Sometimes when it's warm and crowded, the session spills out on to the sidewalk.
In this scene, some youngsters and a visiting guitarist temporarily assigned to Naval Station Newport are showing off to the passersby.
Who is the boy in the green shirt?
That boy is Patrick, now 21 years old and a current regular at the session, playing guitar, mandolin, and banjo.
