Acclaimed Kerry singer-songwriter Junior Brother has announced a major Ireland, UK and European tour in support of his third studio album, The End, with a Limerick date set for Dolan’s on Saturday November 15. The album will be released on 5 September via Strap Originals, the label founded by The Libertines’ Pete Doherty.
Known for a boundary-pushing take on modern Irish folk, Junior Brother combines raw tradition with lyrical depth and eerie soundscapes. The End is described as a visceral response to modern chaos, drawing inspiration from Irish folklore and the supernatural lore of Fairy Forts.
Blending traditional instruments with ghostly textures, the album explores themes including the rise of extremism, ecological loss, and mortality. “It may reflect the doom of a world gone mad, but it also represents the end of darkness, and the start of a new road,” Junior Brother explains.
Strap Originals praised him as “one of the most unique and powerful voices out there,” while the artist himself called the signing “exciting times ahead.”
Junior Brother shared his excitement about the signing, “I’m delighted to be bringing my record “The End” out on such a great label – I look forward to sharing the same roster as such favourites as Peter Doherty, Real Farmer, Warmduscher and loads more. Exciting’ times ahead!”
The End is a deeply instinctive yet carefully considered response to the chaos of modern life, with Junior Brother weaving the recent years of upheaval into the eerie folklore of Fairy Forts. These ring-shaped earth mounds, scattered across the Irish countryside, are known to possess an energy that can bewilder, curse, or even lead the unwary astray. Stepping into one is to risk losing yourself—both physically and spiritually. To Junior Brother, this ancient folklore mirrors the disorienting reality of today’s world.
“The sound of the album is supposed to take the organic instruments of Irish traditional music and lift them somewhere else,” Junior Brother explains, “like the otherworldly Irish music sometimes heard from Fairy Forts at twilight on country roads, impossible to recreate upon hearing.” The End captures this essence, blending the raw textures of traditional Irish music with spectral, unearthly elements.
“The title The End represents the moment after being led astray, when the grip of madness releases you and you suddenly see your way home,” says Junior Brother. “It may reflect the doom of a world gone mad, but it also represents the end of darkness, and the start of a new road.”
