Born
in Dublin, Ireland, Fergus immigrated to Canada in 1967 where he became a
founding member of the Irish folk band Ryan’s Fancy. In 1971 the trio
moved to St. John’s Newfoundland and for the next fourteen years toured
extensively throughout North America and Ireland. Ryan’s
Fancy recorded 13 albums and their popular television show ran on the CBC
national network for five years.
He has since
followed a busy solo and freelance career, touring throughout Canada, the
United States, Europe, and Hong Kong. He can be heard on recent recordings
by Newfoundland artists Great Big Sea, and he has contributed to several
anthologies of Newfoundland music.
Since 1987, when he graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland
with a degree in Education, Fergus has developed and produced a program of
songs, stories and slides exploring the connection between Ireland and
Newfoundland. He continues to tour this program in schools throughout the
Atlantic Provinces. He has also contributed to the Newfoundland School
Curriculum for Music at the intermediate level and has been involved in
several ArtsSmarts projects. . Fergus also gives private lessons in
Bodhran and Banjo
From 1994 to1997, Fergus served on the Board of Directors of the St.
John's Folk Arts Council, where he played an active role in producing
special events featuring the song, story, music and dance traditions of
Newfoundland. He also served on the programming committee of the
Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival in St. John's, the province’s
longest running and largest folk festival.
In April 1995 he was featured in The Stan Rogers Tribute in Halifax, Nova
Scotia, which became part of a national CBC television broadcast and
compilation CD, released in the summer of 1996.
Fergus was also a member of the legendary Newfoundland band Tickle Harbour,
whose album Battery Included, besides being an ECMA nominee, won three
awards at the 1999 Newfoundland Music Industry Association Awards. In
2001, along with Dermot O’Reilly, he produced a Ryan’s Fancy
retrospective CD Songs From The Shows, featuring songs from the acclaimed
1970’s CBC National television series, Ryan’s Fancy. He is currently
facilitating a program for young folk and traditional musicians
under the auspices of the St. John’s Folk Arts Council.
Fergus' Latest musical endeavor is as a member of the Newfoundland traditional group Crowd Of Bold Sharemen.
Questions
or comments for Fergus? Send them along to ryansfancy@yahoo.com
and they will be forwarded and/or posted upon request.
Dermot O'reilly
Denis Ryan
Fergus O'Byrne