The Mary Wallopers are an Irish folk music group based in Dundalk, County Louth, originally consisting of brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy, and Sean McKenna. In 2022 the group expanded to include R贸is铆n Barrett on bass, Brendan McInerney on drums, Seamas Hyland on accordion, and Finnian O'Connor on tin whistle and uilleann pipes. In late 2023, Hyland left to concentrate on his own music. McInerney had previously been replaced by Ken Mooney of The Urges. In March 2025, founding member Sean McKenna announced his departure to pursue his own music.
Charles Hendy has stated that the band's biggest thematic influence has been "reactionary stuff to poverty", while the band credit Jinx Lennon as being among their biggest musical influences. The Hendy brothers knew Se谩n McKenna from school, where an image of Irish revolutionary James Connolly on his schoolbag attracted Charles' attention.
The Mary Wallopers cultivated a large fanbase following their gigs they live-streamed from the Hendys' home during COVID-19 lockdowns. Writing in The Guardian, critic Dan Hancox said the livestreamed gigs "immediately captured a mood, and an audience: providing the connection and warmth we were all missing, cracking jokes, singing, and swearing like dockers".
The Mary Wallopers are an Irish folk music group based in Dundalk, County Louth, originally consisting of brothers Charles and Andrew Hendy, and Sean McKenna. In 2022 the group expanded to include R贸is铆n Barrett on bass, Brendan McInerney on drums, Seamas Hyland on accordion, and Finnian O'Connor on tin whistle and uilleann pipes. In late 2023, Hyland left to concentrate on his own music. McInerney had previously been replaced by Ken Mooney of The Urges. In March 2025, founding member Sean McKenna announced his departure to pursue his own music.
Charles Hendy has stated that the band's biggest thematic influence has been "reactionary stuff to poverty", while the band credit Jinx Lennon as being among their biggest musical influences. The Hendy brothers knew Se谩n McKenna from school, where an image of Irish revolutionary James Connolly on his schoolbag attracted Charles' attention.
The Mary Wallopers cultivated a large fanbase following their gigs they live-streamed from the Hendys' home during COVID-19 lockdowns. Writing in The Guardian, critic Dan Hancox said the livestreamed gigs "immediately captured a mood, and an audience: providing the connection and warmth we were all missing, cracking jokes, singing, and swearing like dockers".