Fergie’s Pub owners have hired sandwich maker N.A. Poe for their new bar in Old City

The Monto is the name of the new Celtic bar coming in April from veteran publicans including Fergus Carey and Jim McNamara, who are taking over the former Mac’s Tavern at 226 Market St.

Carey said the kitchen will be overseen by N.A. Poe, the proprietor of Poe’s Sandwich Joint (at the Human Robot in Kensington and Poison Heart in Poplar) and Poe’s Side Piece (at Human Robot in Brewerytown). Poe plans to blend his South Philadelphia sensibility with Irish pub fare — a mashup he calls the “Poe-gues” menu.

Poe said his existing lineup of cutlet sandwiches, cheesesteaks, and burgers would form the backbone of the Monto’s menu. He said he would twin those offerings with Irish breakfast, sausage rolls, shepherd’s pie, and fish and chips served on Sarcone’s bread with house-made tartar, along with a corned beef cheesesteak and a pub burger that includes blue cheese and crispy prosciutto.

“I’m not trying to be overly precious about it,” Poe said. “At this point, I know what works. Irish food isn’t fine dining. It’s approachable. The goal is to take those classics and put a solid spin on them.”

Carey and McNamara — whose holdings include Fergie’s Pub in Washington Square West, the Jim in South Philadelphia, and the Goat Rittenhouse — have brought in as partners two well-known figures from Philadelphia’s Irish-bar circuit: Johnjoe Devlin, a Glasgow native and a 17-year bartending veteran at Plough & the Stars; and Gary “Swing” McDonald, from South Armagh, Northern Ireland, who has worked for 25 years at such pubs as the Bards, Tir na Nóg, Brownies, Ten Stone, and Murph’s.

The name “Monto” comes from the bawdy Dubliners mid-1960s song about Dublin’s historic red-light district. “I’ve been singing it for 40-plus years,” Carey said.

Designer John Fetsko, whose recent work includes the Mulberry and projects with Royal Restaurant Group, is handling the build-out.

The Market Street address carries its own legacy. Mac’s Tavern, which closed last summer after 15 years, counted South Philadelphia-raised actor Rob McElhenney — now known professionally as Rob Mac — and Kaitlin Olson of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia among its owners.

For Carey, the opening marks both a return to Old City and another chapter in a decades-long run shaping Philadelphia’s bar culture. The Dubliner arrived in Philadelphia in 1987 and landed behind the bar at McGlinchey’s before he and his late business partner, Wajih Abed, opened Fergie’s Pub. He also helped launch such beer destinations as Monk’s Café, the Belgian Café, and Grace Tavern.