The Mary Wallopers
folk
Um flytjanda
Raw Irish folk brought into the present. It all began just before the pandemic, when brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy joined forces with their friend Seán McKenna. Their first winter together hadn’t even ended when the pubs shut down. But the musicians wanted to keep the spirit of a rowdy pub sing-along alive – complete with swearing workers and wonderfully inappropriate jokes. So on St. Patrick’s Day 2020, they decided to share that atmosphere with the world through one of the very first livestreams of the Covid era. The Mary Wallopers later grew in size, and in spring 2025 founding member Seán left the band. Nothing of their uncompromising energy disappeared, though – the group has kept its unmistakably authentic approach. Their sound comes from refusing to cling to traditions and instead embracing influences from popular genres, including punk and R&B. Their music can be as political as it is playful, turning tradition into a living, breathing, shouting celebration of community and resistance. And Irish folk, so close to Czech audiences, won’t be missing at the 23rd edition of Colours of Ostrava either – this time landing somewhere between the punk edge of The Pogues and the experimental spirit of Lankum.
