The Mary Wallopers have announced details of their second album and a huge tour of the UK that runs from November through to Christmas this year.
irish Rock ’n’ Roll is due for release on October 6th and follows last year’s hugely acclaimed self-titled debut
If every album an artist makes offers a snapshot of where they stand at that point, then the picture presented by Irish Rock ’n’ Roll is one of a band preparing to go stratospheric. It’s an album that manages to perfectly capture the chaos, humour and excitement of the band’s recent live shows whilst also showcasing the incredible emotional 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). One of those traditional ballads – Wexford – is the second single from the album following The Holy Ground and it’s online everywhere now.
The Mary Wallopers’ Andrew Hendy on Wexford:
“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 travelling 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 travellers 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.”
Sat 11 Nov Manchester Academy 2
Tickets go on sale on Friday 21st July at 9.30am; a fan pre-sale is open from Wednesday 19th July at 9.30 via SEE Tickets for anyone pre-ordering the album
