KATIE FITZGERALDS

187 Enville Street Stourbridge DY83TB Tel: 01384 374410

17 YEARS OF MUSICAL GENIUS...

THE STORY SO FAR...

ABOUT

Katie Fitzgeralds has built a reputation for live music and parties but it's about more than that its also about history and tradition . Originally a private house the building is over 200 years old and has been a pub since the 1830 Beer Act . In the 19th century it would have been home to foundry workers and boatmen and would have looked out across to the Stourbridge canal arm where Foster and Rastrick built the Stourbridge Lion the first steam locomotive to run on rails in the USA. Originally known as

the Golden Lion it later became known as

the Stourbridge Lion and then in 2000 it

became our home and was renamed in

honour of Trina's grandmother Katie

Fitzgerald who was born in Cloyne County

Cork. Trina is related to Irelands most

famous hurling player Christy Ring, a son of

Cloyne and is also cousin of Donal ag

Cusack , Irelands first openly gay sportsman.

Eddy & Trina

THE STORY SO FAR...

It was around 1990 that I first played a gig at what was then the "Stourbridge Lion " in Enville Street. It was Marnie Costello who established the "Lion" as it became known as a place of great music as well as being instrumental in saving the building from demolition when it closed in 1984. I played many Monday nights or Sunday afternoons lodged in the archway in front of what was then a Spiral staircase into the downstairs cellar room . Later as The New Bushbury Mountain Daredevils I also performed several times on stage in what has now become the cellar bar. Much like Victor Kiam of Remington fame Trina and I loved the place so much that when we had the opportunity to buy the pub in 2000

we decided to take the chance . Our previous business experience was running a shop, The Eye of Horus in Cotteridge , Birmingham so we were largely unprepared for the challenges ahead and I think many Friends thought we were somewhat insane!

However I think it was our naivety that

allowed us to survive the first three years as

we dealt with a huge Flood , 2 cars

crashing into the pub , including one that

demolished the front porch, the death of

several of our animals and most challenging

the passing of Trina's mother Sylvia and my

stepfather Tom and Trina's father David

Murphy. Despite all of this we managed to

weather the storm and after many

improvements and additions Katies became

established as a great music venue and a

place to party.

Eddy Morton

17 YEARS OF MUSICAL GENIUS...

In 2015 ,Trina became the longest serving landlady in the history of the pub which has survived from almost the time of Waterloo, through the Victorian era and the height of the Industrial Revolution, enduring 3 name changes from the original Golden Lion , to the Stourbridge Lion and finally to Katie Fitzgeralds. The many occupants will have seen immense changes in the world outside standing on the front step of the pub. Surviving two world wars , the end of the Cold war and still going strong throughout this second technological revolution, Katies still looks out over to the hammer beam roof of the old Foster and Rastrick Foundry now revamped as the Lion Health centre and will we hope be there for many years to come.

In the last 15 years we have seen appearances at the pub from Ronny Drew , Sean Cannon, Miles Hunt, Trevor Burton , Steve Gibbons , members of UB40 ,Badly Drawn Boy , John Otway, Robb Johnson, Harvey Andrews , Roy Bailey, Rory Mcleod, Show of Hands, Stevie Young of AC DC , Brian Tatler of Diamondhead, Magnums Bob Catley, Dave Sharp of the Alarm, Nick Harper, Nislopi, Ian Parker, Vix from Fuzzbox , Vin Garbutt, Martyn Simpson, Martyn Carthy, Chris Difford from Squeeze, Martyn Joseph, the Neon Hearts plus countless local bands and solo and duo artists in all genres of music from Jazz to Folk to rock and Punk. We have also been proud to promote concerts by Suzanne Vega, John Cooper Clarke the Black country Festival , and Stourbridge Folk Festival at the Redhouse Cone. We have also supported many and various charities including , the YMCA, Hall Green Greyhounds Trust, Acorn Children's Hospice and Mary Stevens hospice among them.