SHAMROCK TENORS' creator Raymond Walsh says "Dream Big & Back Yourself!"

 

The Shamrock Tenors will be having their Huntsville premiere on Sunday, April 6, at 1pm at the VBC Concert Hall. So, I needed to have a chat with one of these tenors to break it down for all of you Kip’s Korner readers. But there are five of them so which one should I pick… As it turns out the creator of the Shamrock Tenors, Raymond Walsh, was also an alumnus of the Barricade so I was sold! Here’s a little bit of info on Raymond before I share our chat:

Hailing from Belfast, Raymond Walsh created the Shamrock Tenors in 2018. He trained in Musical Theatre at the Guildford School of Acting in England. For two years, Raymond played Grantaire in Les Misérables in London’s West End and was featured in the All-Star Concert version alongside Alfie Boe and Michael Ball. But there is nothing he enjoys more than singing with the Shamrock boys and the craic that goes with it.

My co-worker, Lisa Bollinger, also joined me on my interview with Raymond. And if you know anything about Lisa (who just happens to be currently planning the Huntsville St. Patrick’s Day parade) then you won’t be surprised at all that she will take over for the second half of the interview about all things Irish!

Now, let the chatting begin….

Hi Raymond Walsh! Thank you for making time to chat with us from Europe. I understand that in just a couple of weeks the Shamrock Tenors will be making their North American Tour debut, correct?

Yes, that is correct, and we can’t wait to kick off this new tour! And to be in Huntsville in April.

How did you come up with the idea of the Shamrock Tenors?

As you know I’m from Belfast, and there aren’t any drama schools there. I was thinking about all the talented lads I knew in Northern Ireland who couldn’t afford to go elsewhere to study or move to the West End to audition for shows. So, wouldn’t it be nice to have some kind of musical group that represented Northern Ireland for the positive things there. And in 2018 the Shamrock Tenors were born!

I love that! Now that we’re in 2025, how has the Shamrock Tenors changed since 2018?

We started out as four singers (including myself) and musicians. But then I was cast in Les Misérables in the West End, so we brought on Matthew Campbell, and they performed without me for a year. There was no way we would move ahead without Matthew when I returned so we became five.

The Shamrock Tenors became hugely popular on luxury cruise ships and our online videos were hitting numbers in the millions. So, in 2022 there was a big conscious effort to push us out to larger audiences. Then in 2024 we headlined our first ever Northern Irish national tour. Starting with a sold-out show at the Grand Opera House in Belfast. That same year we had our debut in “The West End” with a sold-out show at the famous Adelphi Theatre in London.

Wow, a sold-out show at London’s Adelphi Theatre (where “Back to the Future: The Musical” is currently playing), that must’ve been an extraordinary feeling!

It was single-handedly the best night of my career bar none! If 18-year-old Raymond, who visited London to see his first ever musical, knew that one day he’d be producing and performing a sold-out show at the Adelphi Theatre, he’d never have believed it. I will be forever grateful to the incredible team of people who helped make that dream come true and to all those who came out to support us.

I lost count of the number of times I had people laugh at me when I said I wanted to perform on “The West End” one day. But thankfully I always had the support of my family and friends. And that night I was lucky enough to perform in it with my best friends, along with producing the show. So, my advice to you is to always dream big and back yourself!

Dream Big & Back Yourself! Those are definitely words to live by. Now I know Lisa is anxious to take an Irish deep dive with you but first, I must ask you about Les Misérables. It was such a life-changing experience for me, so tell me how it was for you.

As far as bucket lists go this was always right at the top of mine. In 2018, I was cast as Grantaire in “The West End” production of Les Misérables. So, it turns out that all of those years of method acting as a drunk have finally paid off… ha-ha!

Seriously though, in 2006 I saw my first ever musical when I operated a spotlight on a student production of Les Mis and decided, there and then, that it was what I wanted to do with my life. To make my West End debut in that show, twelve years later… “Ain’t the world a remarkable place!”

And you met your fiancé in Les Misérables didn’t you?

Yes!! Lauren was playing Fantine when I was playing Grantaire in the UK & Ireland Tour of Les Mis. Would our couple name be Fantaire or Grantine?

But truly, I have won the lottery finding Lauren. I never met a more caring and supportive human in my entire life, who also manages to crack me up with laughter on a daily basis and makes me want to be a better version of myself!

Ok Raymond, you’re getting me all teary-eyed! Any last words on Les Mis before I pass you off to Lisa?

I was always told you never leave Les Mis. I’m very proud to have been part of the original production, new production, staged concert and finally the arena tour of my favorite musical! That’s the bingo card complete. I’ll still be trying my luck as Grantaire when I’m 80!

And here's the IRISH part of Kip's Korner with special co-host, Lisa Bollinger, speaking with Raymond Walsh...

There is nothing better than being in a pub in Ireland during a live music session. How do The Shamrock Tenors take us there?  

The experience of this show looks like a large stage show but it feels like an intimate Irish experience at a local pub in Ireland. We love it when people sing along and dance – we bring you more than just watching this show.  It’s a feeling. It’s Ok to dance and sing along!

I remember one time we were performing on a cruise that was docked in Cobh in Ireland. We talked to a local pub about doing a lock in with around 20 people, mostly workers, from the ship. By the time word got out the place was packed with almost 300 people including guests on the ship. It was a fantastic evening in the pub. In the morning we sort of remember playing Sweet Child of Mine on the penny whistle. It was a very memorable evening – a true pub music experience!

40 million people claim Irish heritage in the United States. That is more than there are currently people living in Ireland. What does it mean to you to tour the US this spring?

There is a real connection. People from America and Canada are always so appreciative of our music. They love to tell us what songs mean to them and why they are so special. There is a lot of Irish pride in North America. There is a real connection. It’s hard for me to look anybody in the eye when singing Danny Boy – that song always has an impact when Americans are in the audience.  It’s very special to us to be able to bring these songs to people from around the world.  We have never been in the US for St. Patrick’s Day – we hear it’s even bigger there than in Ireland, so we are very excited about that!

You mentioned earlier that the lads are from both sides of the community in Belfast. You just had a sold-out show in Belfast. What was that like as a native of Belfast? 

I founded this group because I wanted to showcase the talent in Northern Ireland. So many people think of The Troubles when they think of Northern Ireland. We’ve come so far from that since. Our parents experienced it more than we did.  The band, and our songs are from both communities and we take pride in that. That show in Belfast had people from all over, representing both communities, and we all came together for great music and the audience sang together too. It was very special.  We also played in Derry that has a story about The Troubles, and the audience were giving us a standing ovation halfway through the song. It was very moving.

We can’t wait to see you in Huntsville!

We have had the best time in the South! We had a great experience in North Carolina and noticed the great southern hospitality. Everybody was so welcoming.  We are very excited to visit Alabama for the first time.

EXTRA BONUS FEATURE

Rapid Fire Questions with Raymond:

 

Best Song for a Sing-a-long in an Irish pub?

Wild Rover is always one that brings people together. We play that in our show.
(Lisa would like to add that Black Velvet Band is one of her favorites, they sing that too!)

Best Tayto Flavor?

Bikers – it’s a spicy flavor. But the best cheese and onion crisp is O’Donnell’s!

Best Pint?

Guinness. But I’ll drink Murphy’s or Beamish as well

How much is a 99 now?

It’s around  1.70!
(Note: a 99 is a vanilla soft serve ice cream cone with a Cadbury chocolate flake in it. They used to cost 99 pence. Lisa’s teen sons ate a lot of them in Ireland!)

What’s in your Irish breakfast?

I’m controversial because I don’t like fry-ups!  I like a bacon and egg sandwich on brioche. Irish bacon – which is more like ham.  (Note: he will do just fine eating breakfast in America!)

                                

SHAMROCK TENORS

Sunday, April 6, 2025

at 1pm

Please click here for tickets!