The O'Flat's session in downtown San Jose has been around in one form or another for going on three decades, since it opened in 2002. The bar itself and a lot of its decor was made in and shipped over from Ireland. One session back in 2009 the secret service kindly let me past so I could meet the Taoiseach, who had stopped into O'Flaherty's for a pint during his visit to California. While the calibre of player here is high, this is a very friendly session and a whole lot of fun. Owners Ray and Marie O'Flaherty from Birr have always supported the traditional session (RIP 2013, Ray).

Julie sez, "it is important for the health of the music to maintain as high a standard of musicianship as possible. The pub owner and staff treat musicians well at O’Flaherty’s and are very supportive of the music, and they do us a great service by providing us with a nice place to play and free drink. The musicians should return the favor by taking the time to consider if they are ready to play at a level comparable to the others at the session or not. If not, rest assured that the musicians VERY much appreciate listeners who are genuinely interested in learning the music, as the other patrons are generally much more interested in the hockey game and enjoying their cigars than the diddily-idely in the corner."