Dundalk’s finest, The Mary Wallopers, have been fermenting a strong brew of Irish Traditional music for several years now that’s more lethal than the Poitín sold under the bar in a pub that you won’t find on Tripadvisor. Forget all the marketing crossover variations on names from the Irish tradition and punk. Just sit back and enjoy them for what they are, top-class entertainers who know how to hold the floor and deliver an energetic crowd-pleasing performance. You’ve just got to love’em.
With just one EP to date, A Mouthful of The Mary Wallopers (check our Folk Show – Episode 87), fans will be over the moon that their new single, ‘Frost Is All Over’, is taken from their forthcoming debut album due for release in the autumn, when the band head out on a major tour of the UK and Ireland, including a massive London show and a New Year’s Eve party in Limerick (see dates below).
They shared this on the song: “Frost is All Over is a traditional Irish song about taking everything in your stride and not caring about what everyone says you should care about. We added the verse about landlords as we feel they are a sensitive sort who need reminding of how much we care about them. It was recorded by Chris Barry in his Dublin studio in 2021. It’s an old song made famous by Planxty. The video was shot by Sean McMahon and the set was designed by Mark Sheridan. Sean is from Dundalk like us and has worked on our livestreams before. It was shot in the old AOH Hall in Blackrock, Dundalk, which local music legend Conor Hughes allowed us to use. The video is our way of introducing the new band and how sexy we have become over lockdown. Our home studio/pub was too small to fit everyone in so we had to branch out but still keep it Dundalk.”
That comment about landlords came up in a Folk Radio interview with them last year when I mentioned how the traditional songs they sang were often written in response to issues that still exist today: “Many songs exist about landlords, the only difference is people used to shoot landlords back then. So, we can learn a lot from these songs.” They shared how they collect songs “in pubs, old books, the Irish Traditional Music Archive and even YouTube. A good song is a good song no matter where you find it.”
We went on to chat about their hometown of Dundalk and how their home/pub had become a venue: “Yes, we built a stage in our shed and a pub in our sitting room, we had gigs happening in our house the likes of Thomas McCarthy, Jinx Lennon, Myles Manley and Junior Brother performed at them. We organised it so you pay 20eur and you get a lift out to ours and back into town and its BYOB. They got a bit messy at times so we slowed down on them!”
Stream/Download ‘Frost Is All Over’
The Mary Wallopers are brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy and Seán McKenna, although they recently expanded in size to a seven-piece for live performances.
The Mary Wallopers Live Dates
| Date | Country | City | Venue |
| Fri 28 Oct 2022 | United Kingdom | Norwich | Norwich Arts Centre |
| Sat 29 Oct 2022 | United Kingdom | Hull | Polar Bear Music Club |
| Sun 30 Oct 2022 | United Kingdom | Liverpool | O2 Academy 2 |
| Mon 31 Oct 2022 | United Kingdom | Birmingham | O2 Institute 3 |
| Wed 2 Nov 2022 | United Kingdom | Cambridge | The Portland Arms |
| Thu 3 Nov 2022 | United Kingdom | Cardiff | The Globe |
| Fri 4 Nov 2022 | United Kingdom | Leicester | The Soundhouse |
| Sun 6 Nov 2022 | United Kingdom | Sheffield | The Leadmill 2 |
| Mon 7 Nov 2022 | United Kingdom | Leeds | Brudenell Social Club |
| Tue 8 Nov 2022 | United Kingdom | Brighton | Komedia |
| Thu 17 Nov 2022 | Ireland | Dublin | National Stadium |
| Sat 19 Nov 2022 | Netherlands | Rotterdam | V11 |
| Sun 20 Nov 2022 | Belgium | Leffinge | Cafe De Zwerver |
| Mon 21 Nov 2022 | Germany | Dusseldorf | The Tube |
| Tue 22 Nov 2022 | Netherlands | Nijmegen | Merleyn |
| Wed 23 Nov 2022 | Netherlands | Amsterdam | Paradiso (upstairs) |
| Thu 24 Nov 2022 | Netherlands | Deventer | Burgerweeshuis Café |
| Thu 1 Dec 2022 | Ireland | Kilkenny | Set Theatre |
| Fri 2 Dec 2022 | Ireland | Cork | Cyprus Avenue |
| Sat 3 Dec 2022 | Ireland | Castlebar | Royal Theatre |
| Sun 4 Dec 2022 | Ireland | Dunmore East | Haven Marquee |
| Wed 7 Dec 2022 | Ireland | Portlaoise | Kavanaghs Bar & Venue |
| Thu 8 Dec 2022 | Ireland | Donegal | Séan Óg’s |
| Fri 9 Dec 2022 | United Kingdom | Belfast | Mandela Hall |
| Sun 11 Dec 2022 | United Kingdom | Edinburgh | The Liquid Room |
| Wed 14 Dec 2022 | United Kingdom | Bristol | Thekla |
| Thu 15 Dec 2022 | United Kingdom | London | Electric Ballroom |
| Fri 16 Dec 2022 | United Kingdom | Manchester | Band On The Wall |
| Sat 17 Dec 2022 | United Kingdom | Glasgow | The Garage |
| Sun 18 Dec 2022 | United Kingdom | Newcastle upon Tyne | Cluny 2 |
| Mon 19 Dec 2022 | United Kingdom | Nottingham | Rescue Rooms |
| Wed 28 Dec 2022 | Ireland | Kerry | Mike The Pies |
| Sat 31 Dec 2022 | Ireland | Limerick | Dolans |
https://www.marywallopers.com/