The High Kings have earned a reputation as a phenomenal live band, serving up laughter, good times, and sing-alongs. The Sept. 12 concert will feature tunes from their most recent album, “Home from Home” (2021), plus fan favorites. WDCB 90.9FM is Media Sponsor for this concert. 

Members of The High Kings all grew up in households steeped in the Irish musical tradition. They are as follows: 

• Finbarr Clancy. Clancy toured the United States and Ireland in the 1990s with the Clancy Brothers, one of the most successful folk groups in Irish traditional music. He plays the guitar and sometimes the banjo. 

• Brian Dunphy. After two years as part of “Riverdance,” Dunphy became a member of The Three Irish Tenors. He had also been a member of the band Druid and typically plays the bodhrán and guitar with the group. 

• Darren Holden. Perhaps the most well-known member of the group, Holden plays the accordion, mandolin, guitar and keyboard. He starred in “Riverdance: The Show” on Broadway for 18 months and went on to appear in the musical “Movin’ Out,” playing the role of Billy Joel on Broadway and on national tours of the U.S, Canada and Japan.  

• Paul O’Brien. A self-taught musician, O’Brien plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, whistles, harmonica and bodhrán. He has performed in many pubs and local venues in Ireland and also spent two years living and gigging in Puerto Rico in Gran Canaria as a one-man band. O’Brien joined The High Kings in 2019.  

Throughout The High Kings’ history, they have toured the United States, Ireland and Europe almost annually. Career highlights include performing for President Obama during his visit to Ireland (2012) and later that same year performing at the White House St. Patrick’s Day celebration. In 2015 they performed at the Pentagon as guests of General Martin Dempsey, then Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, alongside the US Marine Corps band. Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the band to pause their usually hectic touring schedule but they are now happily back on the road.  

The High Kings group initially formed in June 2007. They released their self-titled debut album in 2008. That album reached No. 2 on the Billboard World Music chart, setting the stage for the success they have enjoyed ever since. To date the group has released four studio albums: two live albums, two live DVDs and a greatest hits collection, “Decade” (2017) which also included some brand-new recordings. Earlier this year, the High Kings released “Home from Home,” their brand-new 11 track album. Recorded live at Concert Deck in Dublin, “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,” says The High Kings’ Darren Holden. 

Click below to view the performance program:

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