Galway International Arts Festival and Róisín Dubh today announce that The Mary Wallopers will play the Heineken® Big Top on Saturday 19 July 2025, as part of Galway International Arts Festival.
Tickets on sale Friday 22 November at 9am.
‘The punk spirit of Irish traditional music.’
Mojo
‘A raucous power… not seen since the heyday of The Pogues.’
Uncut
With their punked-up versions of traditional Irish songs wowing audiences in Ireland, Australia, the US and the UK, The Mary Wallopers became a word-of-mouth live phenomenon. This culminated with the band performing to their biggest audience in 2024 at Glastonbury’s revered Park Stage.
The Mary Wallopers were formed by brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy and their friend Sean McKenna. They began traveling the length and breadth of Ireland singing and collecting songs before expanding to a blistering 6 piece that has torn up the live circuit over the past three years.
At the heart of their live performances is their ability to move seamlessly between crackling cabaret-style banter, raucous tales, chaotic punk velocity, and pin-drop silence for heartrending songs. Their zeal for live music is infectious.
The Mary Wallopers repertoire is steeped in traditional material, however, far from treating the folk idiom as unrealistic sacred territory, the band perform with a mischievous warts-and-all honesty reminiscent of the wild energy of Shane McGowan and The Pogues.
Tickets €39.50 plus (plus booking fee) go on sale at 9am, Friday 22 November at giaf.ie / roisindubh.net
Galway International Arts Festival 2025 runs from 14-27 July 2025. GIAF is an annual celebration of the arts, featuring a diverse programme of events, including music, theatre, visual arts and more. It brings together local and international artists to showcase their talent, creating a vibrant cultural experience for audiences of all ages.
Galway International Arts Festival would like to acknowledge the support of its principal funding agencies the Arts Council and Fáilte Ireland; its Drinks Partner Heineken®; and Education Partner University of Galway.
