The Mary Wallopers are on an amazing upward curve lately – and the most recent high point came last Saturday.
The seven piece band played on the main stage at Electric Picnic in front of a huge crowd.
A mix between punk and Irish folk, the band originated in Dundalk and was formed by brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy plus their friend Sean McKenna.
The group took their name from a rowboat in the Dundalk harbour, which was in turn named for a local sex worker.
One of the other four members is from Laois – Portlaoise bassist Roisin Barrett.
Speaking on the LoveLaois Podcast this week, Roisin explains how she ended up in the band.
She said: “I went on up to Dublin (after school). I studied music, and I actually came across Charles and Andrew.
“They had a rap group called CPM. One night in Dublin, I landed down at a gig to watch them.
“And genuinely, how I met them was that I was like ‘Do you want to come to my apartment for a session?’
“We listened to absolutely everything you can imagine to Richie Kavanagh.
“I swear to God, we were just listening to the hits all night like and then I didn’t hear from them again for about two years.
“And then suddenly, at the start of lockdown, Charles, just contacted me.
“I can’t remember if he text or rang me, but he just said ‘Do you want to come down to Dundalk and, you know, play bass for the Mary Wallopers?’
“They knew I was a bassist but they never heard me play. They just decided, from that night at the party, that we all had very similar kinds of interests.
Are kind of ethos. We’re all very similar in our thoughts and wants and where we want to be, kind of socially, politically, as people.”
Since then, Roisin and The Mary Wallopers have produced albums and played at huge venues like Glastonbury.
Roisin said: “It’s honestly a dream. Standing on the stage like in Glastonbury was incredible.
“It’s amazing with Glastonbury and Electric Picnic where you grow up and you see it on RTE, you see it on BBC.
“When these festivals are happening, you’re seeing the crowds and the flags.
“Then all of a sudden, you’re on that stage looking at those flags flying, those people dancing, like, it’s completely surreal.”
The Mary Wallopers are taking a small break now but Roisin revealed they will be back in full from December.
She said: “We just announced our Seven Drunken Nights tour for December.
“So the plan is we have about three months off here now and we want to have a bit of rest and do a bit of writing and do bit recording – hopefully create a third album.
“By the time December comes around, we’re going to have a completely new set list and a completely new show.
“We don’t even know what you’re in store for in December – we just know it’s going to be class.”
You can catch the full interview with Roisin on the latest episode of the LoveLaois Podcast.
Check it all out below:
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