Ireland's The Mary Wallopers Announce New Album & North American Tour in October

Ireland’s The Mary Wallopers have announced the October 6 release of their new album, Irish Rock ’n’ Roll.  

The LP’s 13 track perfectly capture the chaos, humour and excitement of the band’s recent live shows while at the same time showcasing the emotion of the traditional ballads that they play (both in songs passed down from previous generations and - for the first time on this record - their own songs that promise to be passed down to future generations). Today they share one of those traditional ballads via new single “Wexford.”  

The band’s Andrew Hendy notes, “The song was written by Pecker Dunne, who was a travelling musician. He brought so many songs into circulation over the years he played, you’ll have heard the Dubliners playing a lot of his songs. He came from a line of traveling musicians. His father was a fiddle player and his mother was a tightrope walker, the whole family’s trade was entertainment.

Wexford is one of the most beautiful songs in the ballad tradition. He wrote it about growing up in Wexford. It touches on his upbringing and on the grief that travelers suffer in Ireland which is something that’s not really talked about much. It’s an incredible, emotional song. We’ve always gravitated towards that side of folk music - the most accessible side of music, the kind you can just stand on the street singing. Pecker Dunne wrote so many funny songs, which makes it even more hard hitting when he’d sing a song like this.”

The Mary Wallopers previously released “The Holy Ground” off of Irish Rock ’n’ Roll.  The upcoming album will mark the follow up to the band’s hugely acclaimed self-titled debut which was released last year.  

In March Ireland’s The Mary Wallopers made their first trip to North American for a string of sold-out shows on the East Coast.  The band will return to this side of the pond for an October tour of North America.  The run starts October 11 in Philadelphia and concludes in San Diego on October 31.  Along the way they make stops in New York City, Toronto, Chicago and Los Angeles, among other markets.  

Their live performances are renowned across the UK and Ireland for their raucous spirit, living up to their reputation as “The Clancy Brothers meets Dead Kennedys.” Following a packed out Glastonbury performance last month (watch the band’s BBC performance here), The Mary Wallopers will play sets at multiple festivals over the summer and headline an extensive tour of the UK later in the fall.  Tickets are on-sale HERE and all shows are listed below.

ABOUT THE MARY WALLOPERS

The Mary Wallopers was released in the fall of 2020 to rave reviews. It was nominated for Irish Album of the Year alongside Dermot Kennedy and Fontaine DC and, filled with warmth, intimacy, and chaos,perfectly captured the band’s sound and ethos.  The album is the culmination of several years of the Wallopers touring all corners of Ireland, collecting traditional songs before dusting them down and reimagining them in their Dundalk rehearsal space. 

Brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy and their friend Sean McKenna formed The Mary Wallopers as a three-piece ballad group and their early live performances exuded a raw energy. They released their debut EP,  A Mouthful of The Mary Wallopers, in 2019.  The band expanded to a seven-piece that now includes Roisin Barret on bass, Brendan McInerney on drums, Seamas Hyland on accordion and Finian O’ Connor on tin whistle.

Photo by Sorcha Frances Ryder

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