Mulkerrin Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Mulkerrin Brothers are a trio of traditional
Irish
musicians and performers. The three are brothers, Pádraig Mulkerrin) (b. 22 March 1994), Éamonn Mulkerrin and Seán Mulkerrin, who come from the Aran Islands
.
They were winners of the first series
of The All Ireland Talent Show
in 2009. They appeared on television shows including Seoige
and Tubridy Tonight
following their win and gave a performance with Sinéad O'Connor
in London
. They announced a nationwide tour of Ireland in late 2009.
. Their parents are Martin and Bridie, both born on the Aran Islands. Bridie lived in Wales
, where she learned classical music, until she reached the age of sixteen. Her mother came from Cork
. The Mulkerrin Brothers have a fourth brother, eight-year-old Máirtín, who does not perform with them and has little interest in music.
In March 2009, the three performing brothers ranged in age from nine to fourteen. Pádraig is fourteen years old, Éamonn is eleven-years-old and Seán is nine-years old. Seán attracted attention for his sean-nós dancing
. Seán and Éamon play sport, both training in rugby
at Carraroe
, whilst Seán also plays Gaelic football
on Inis Mór.
television series The All Ireland Talent Show
which were held at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
(GMIT), County Galway
on 22 November 2008. According to Pádraig, “We just entered to see what the hype was and mostly just to meet Jacksie from Killanscully
and Daithí Ó Sé”. They were chosen by mentor Daithí Ó Sé
as one of his five acts to represent The West in the live finals which took place during February and March 2009, with their selection broadcast on the second episode broadcast on 11 January 2009. They progressed to the live final by winning the semi-final on 15 February 2009. They defeated the North's representative Niamh McGlinchey, the East's representative Holly Ann Traynor and Dublin's representative Elle N Elle, whilst the South's representative Moneeka Murkerjee progressed to the Wildcard selection but did not make the Final herself.
During the final they competed against Dublin's representatives Bert & Victor,the North's representative Clíona Hagan, fellow representative of the West Daithí O Dronaí, wildcard selection representing the East Donna Marie Sluggs, and the South's representative Jack Lynch a.k.a. B Boy Six. The Mulkerrins performed last on the night and defeated runner up Jack Lynch to win the series. They won a prize of €
50,000 following a vote by the general public.
the following day. An appearance on Tubridy Tonight
followed on 21 March 2009. Pádraig described their homecoming to Inis Mór as the highlight of the year: “Everybody from the island was on the pier to meet us and there was a big function in the local hall”.
They made their debut at a sold-out show in Ennis
, County Clare
. They have also performed alongside Sinéad O'Connor
in London
, UK
. A nationwide tour has been launched. A debut album is being recorded. They will feature in a documentary which will air on Christmas Day.
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
musicians and performers. The three are brothers, Pádraig Mulkerrin) (b. 22 March 1994), Éamonn Mulkerrin and Seán Mulkerrin, who come from the Aran Islands
Aran Islands
The Aran Islands or The Arans are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. They constitute the barony of Aran in County Galway, Ireland...
.
They were winners of the first series
The All Ireland Talent Show (series 1)
The first series of The All Ireland Talent Show was announced in November 2008 and commenced broadcasting on 4 January 2009, completing its first series on 15 March 2009. Modelled on Britain's Got Talent, it was produced by Tyrone Productions. Airing on RTÉ One, it was hosted by Gráinne...
of The All Ireland Talent Show
The All Ireland Talent Show
The All Ireland Talent Show was an RTÉ television series billed as Ireland's biggest-ever talent contest. It was first announced in November 2008 and the first series commenced broadcasting on 4 January 2009, completing on 15 March 2009. Modelled on Britain's Got Talent, it is produced by Tyrone...
in 2009. They appeared on television shows including Seoige
Seoige
Seoige was an Irish television chat show. The show, hosted by sisters Gráinne and Sile Seoige, was broadcast live on weekdays at 16:30 on RTÉ One, with a hiatus in the summer months. Episodes were repeated at 08:20 the following weekday morning on the same channel.The programme was originally...
and Tubridy Tonight
Tubridy Tonight
Tubridy Tonight is an Irish chat show hosted by Ryan Tubridy that aired for five series on RTÉ One between 2004 and 2009. The programme featured guest interviews , audience participation and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
following their win and gave a performance with Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. They announced a nationwide tour of Ireland in late 2009.
Style
The Mulkerrins are three brothers who come from Inis Mór, one of the Aran IslandsAran Islands
The Aran Islands or The Arans are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. They constitute the barony of Aran in County Galway, Ireland...
. Their parents are Martin and Bridie, both born on the Aran Islands. Bridie lived in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, where she learned classical music, until she reached the age of sixteen. Her mother came from Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
. The Mulkerrin Brothers have a fourth brother, eight-year-old Máirtín, who does not perform with them and has little interest in music.
In March 2009, the three performing brothers ranged in age from nine to fourteen. Pádraig is fourteen years old, Éamonn is eleven-years-old and Seán is nine-years old. Seán attracted attention for his sean-nós dancing
Sean-nós dance
Sean-nós dance is an older style of traditional solo Irish dance. It is a casual dance form Irish Stepdancing....
. Seán and Éamon play sport, both training in rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
at Carraroe
Carraroe
An Cheathrú Rua is a village in County Galway, Ireland. The village is within the Irish-speaking region of Connemara, and is famous for its traditional fishing boats known as Galway Hookers. Its population is widely dispersed over Carraroe peninsula between Greatman's Bay and Casla Bay...
, whilst Seán also plays Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
on Inis Mór.
The All Ireland Talent Show
The Mulkerrin Brothers took part in auditions for the RTÉ OneRTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
television series The All Ireland Talent Show
The All Ireland Talent Show
The All Ireland Talent Show was an RTÉ television series billed as Ireland's biggest-ever talent contest. It was first announced in November 2008 and the first series commenced broadcasting on 4 January 2009, completing on 15 March 2009. Modelled on Britain's Got Talent, it is produced by Tyrone...
which were held at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology is a third level institute of education and is based at five locations in the west of Ireland.-Galway Campus:...
(GMIT), County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
on 22 November 2008. According to Pádraig, “We just entered to see what the hype was and mostly just to meet Jacksie from Killanscully
Killinaskully
Killinaskully was an Irish television comedy which details the bizarre goings-on in a fictitious Irish village called Killinaskully located in the hills of Ireland. It was actually filmed on location in the villages of Killoscully and Ballinahinch in County Tipperary, the title being a fusion of...
and Daithí Ó Sé”. They were chosen by mentor Daithí Ó Sé
Dáithí Ó Sé
Dáithí Ó Sé is a television presenter with TG4 in Ireland, where he presents the weather forecast and does continuity announcements. He has also presented various programmes on TG4, including travel programme Dáithí ar Route 66, about the U.S...
as one of his five acts to represent The West in the live finals which took place during February and March 2009, with their selection broadcast on the second episode broadcast on 11 January 2009. They progressed to the live final by winning the semi-final on 15 February 2009. They defeated the North's representative Niamh McGlinchey, the East's representative Holly Ann Traynor and Dublin's representative Elle N Elle, whilst the South's representative Moneeka Murkerjee progressed to the Wildcard selection but did not make the Final herself.
During the final they competed against Dublin's representatives Bert & Victor,the North's representative Clíona Hagan, fellow representative of the West Daithí O Dronaí, wildcard selection representing the East Donna Marie Sluggs, and the South's representative Jack Lynch a.k.a. B Boy Six. The Mulkerrins performed last on the night and defeated runner up Jack Lynch to win the series. They won a prize of €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
50,000 following a vote by the general public.
Since then...
The Mulkerrin Brothers performed their winning piece on SeoigeSeoige
Seoige was an Irish television chat show. The show, hosted by sisters Gráinne and Sile Seoige, was broadcast live on weekdays at 16:30 on RTÉ One, with a hiatus in the summer months. Episodes were repeated at 08:20 the following weekday morning on the same channel.The programme was originally...
the following day. An appearance on Tubridy Tonight
Tubridy Tonight
Tubridy Tonight is an Irish chat show hosted by Ryan Tubridy that aired for five series on RTÉ One between 2004 and 2009. The programme featured guest interviews , audience participation and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
followed on 21 March 2009. Pádraig described their homecoming to Inis Mór as the highlight of the year: “Everybody from the island was on the pier to meet us and there was a big function in the local hall”.
They made their debut at a sold-out show in Ennis
Ennis
Ennis is the county town of Clare in Ireland. Situated on the River Fergus, it lies north of Limerick and south of Galway. Its name is a shortening of the original ....
, County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
. They have also performed alongside Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. A nationwide tour has been launched. A debut album is being recorded. They will feature in a documentary which will air on Christmas Day.