Laois musician to perform on Late Late Show tomorrow night
The Mary Wallopers stand in defiance after they were told to remove their Palestinian Flag at the Victorious Festival in Portsmouth
RÓISÍN Barrett from Portlaoise along with her fellow band members of The Mary Wallopers are to perform on tomorrow night’s Late Late Show.
The five-piece trad/punk band, who have just returned from an Austrian tour, sparked a global debate on musicians expressing their political views, when they had their set cut at the 80,000 capacity Victorious music festival in Portsmouth last month, when they displayed a Palestinian flag and called for a ‘free Palestine.’
Their stand led to several other bands pulling out in solidarity with them and accusing the festival of stifling free speech.
The festival organisers eventually apologised for the incident and agreed to donate a sizable donation to Palestinian aid groups.
The band’s front men brothers Andrew and Charles Hendy will join Patrick Kielty on the couch to chat about the gig that made headlines around the world and about making music and taking a stand. They’ll also be performing their latest single ‘The Juice’.
Other guests on the Late Late Show include the former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon for a wide-ranging conversation about her time in office, the fight for Scottish independence and the personal toll that public life can take.
Football legend Martin O’Neill will also be in studio to look back at his celebrated career - from playing in the World Cup with Northern Ireland and lifting two European Cups with Nottingham Forest, to his managerial triumphs with Leicester City, Celtic and, of course, the Republic of Ireland.
Comedian Neil Delamere will return to the Late Late couch with his trademark wit and a brand-new stand-up tour that’s already selling out across the country.
Patrick will also be joined by the two surviving members of the Miami Showband, Stephen Travers and Des Lee, alongside longtime friend of the band Fr. Brian D’Arcy, to mark 50 years since the devastating massacre that changed Irish music history.
