Bow Before The High Kings

On Sunday, July 31, at 7 p.m., Suffolk Theater presents The High Kings — Finbarr Clancy, Darren Holden, Brian Dunphy and Paul O’ Brien. Formed in June 2007, Dunphy, Holden, Clancy and former member Martin Furey were asked to join a brand new Irish ballad group by David Kavanagh after he had noticed a gap in the market for a band specializing in traditional Irish music. It didn’t take long during their first studio rehearsal for them to realize that they were onto something special.

The High Kings play 13 instruments between the four of them, creating a unique sound and atmosphere that is hard to find elsewhere. This was confirmed when their self-titled debut album reached number two on the world Billboard Music chart. In March 2009 The High Kings played five consecutive sold out shows to a packed audience in Dublin’s Olympia Theatre.

By 2011 the band had outgrown the venues they had been previously playing and had to start playing larger venues not only in Ireland but also in America and across Europe. Over the past 12 years The High Kings have released four studio albums, two live albums and two DVDs. In 2017 they released a compilation album “Decade,” which celebrated 10 successful years together and also included five brand-new recordings.

In 2012 they performed for President Barack Obama in Moneygall, which led to a personal invitation from the president to perform at the 2012 White House St. Patrick’s day celebration. They flew directly from London where they had already been the headline act for the Lord Mayor of London’s St. Patrick’s Day concert. In 2015, The High Kings were invited to the Pentagon as guests of General Martin Dempsey, who is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They performed alongside the U.S. Marine Corps band marking another special occasion for the band. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Irish Rugby anthem “Ireland’s Call,” the band was asked by the original composer Phil Coulter to record their own version which was subsequently included in the TV3 documentary.

The High Kings continue to set the bar extremely high for Irish Folk bands across the world and are widely regarded to be at the forefront of the genre. In 2022, after a 13 year journey The High Kings continue to perform in sell out venues across the globe to their ever-growing army of loyal fans that span generations. Their newest album, ‘Home from Home,’ is a journey through classic folk songs, old and new.

“The idea behind this album was to bring our fans on a journey across the world, to some of the places we call home when we tour, via some of the classic folk songs that have inspired us along the way,” band members said.

Tickets for The High Kings are $49 to $59 at suffolktheater.com. Suffolk Theater is at 118 East Main Street, Riverhead.