‘Our uncle texts us every time we’re on the radio’: The Fynches on family and their biggest tour yet

From starring in the leading role of the cult classic film Sing Street to touring and recording with the likes of Villagers and Hudson Taylor, brothers Ferdia and Oisín Walsh-Peelo have spent years forging their own individual paths as artists.

A few years ago however, the pair brought their experience together to form The Fynches, an Irish folk-rock band who have just released their self-titled debut album to national attention after several critically acclaimed singles.

The brothers have been joined by Camryn Teehan on drums, bassist Fionn O’Neill and Julia-Maria on the cello to add a fuller, big-band sound to the tracks, some of which were written by Oisín and Ferdia 10 years ago.

A couple of weeks on from the album’s release, the band are still soaking up the reception to their debut record and reaping the rewards of many years of work.

“It’s been lovely to hear how people react listening to the music, we’ve sat on it for so long that it’s not new to us but it’s great to experience it as a new thing for other people, and then for new listeners as well,” Ferdia says, speaking to The Kilkenny People on a journey to Limerick with Oisín to play a gig at The Big Top.

“When we were going through the process of making this album we were digging out a lot of stuff that we’d written over the years so they have an element where they feel like songs that have been with us for a long time but they also have kind of a new life to them,” Ferdia adds.

Though the family will be well used to enjoying the brothers success, having the pair on their first full-length album together and touring the country with the band is another point of pride as The Fynches continue to break new ground with national media appearances and bigger gigs.

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“Our uncle texts us every time we’re on the radio which is hilarious because we were really lucky to get quite a bit of play on all the singles over the summer,” Oisín says.

“It’s lovely to see a large scale project like an album through from start to finish with your family members because it means a lot to them. Last year at our Dublin show, a huge amount of our extended family turned up so it’s a culmination of all our favourite things by bringing people together and family is a big part of that for sure,” he outlines.

Though they are separated by a seven-year age gap, music has always linked Oisín and Ferdia since childhood as they supported each other’s artistic endeavours from an early age with their mother as a driving force behind their success also.

“I found the most hilarious photograph of Oisín when he was about 17 with dreadlocks and me when I was about 10 at the Wexford Opera House. He was playing piano for me when I was doing a few classical (singing) performances,” Ferdia recalls. 

“We’ve been doing things like that from a young age, our mother was both of our singing teachers as kids and we were playing music together in very different capacities at that stage”.

The Fynches are gearing up for their biggest ever tour with nine Irish dates starting in Limerick before the penultimate gig at Cleere’s Bar and Theatre on November 21. 

Though Oisín has a history with Kilkenny that includes playing with Hudson Taylor and the more unusual story of housesitting outside Castlecomer during lockdown with responsibility for a group of sick pigs, this will be the first time that The Fynches take to the stage in the Marble City.

“We’re going to have five days of rehearsals next week where we’re really getting the chance to dial this tour in, make it as good as possible and bring it up to the next level,” Ferdia describes.

“We’re particularly psyched to play the likes of Kilkenny, where we’ve never been before, so seeing some new faces and sharing music with new audiences is going to be massive as well,” Oisín concludes.

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