Junior Brother

Ronan Kealy, known as Junior Brother (born 1993), is an Irish alternative folk singer-songwriter from County Kerry.[1][2]

Junior Brother
Birth nameRonan Kealy
Born1993 (1993) (age 30)
Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland
OriginCounty Kerry
Genresalternative folk
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)guitar, tambourine
Years active2014–present
LabelsStrange Brew
Websitejuniorbrother.bandcamp.com

Early life

Kealy grew up in County Kerry. He attended St Brendan's College, Killarney and studied English in University College Cork and Ballyfermot College of Further Education.[3]

Career

Junior Brother moved to Dublin in 2014 to begin his career.[4] His stage name is taken from a character in the Elizabethan play The Revenger's Tragedy.[5] He was named as one of RTÉ's Rising Irish Stars of 2018,[6] and as one of The Irish Times' "Irish music contenders ready to break through in 2019". His first album, Pull The Right Rope, was nominated for the Choice Music Prize.[7] In a 4-star review for The Irish Times, music journalist Tony Clayton-Lea wrote: "...the tales told here are full of wide-eyed wonders and keen observations. Between the clatter of one and clarity of the other, Junior Brother’s songs are the real deal."[8] Music website The Last Mixed Tape wrote of the album: "An album of pure expression, Pull The Right Rope is a masterclass in the sheer joy of creation."[9] In March 2019 he appeared on The Tommy Tiernan Show,[10] and in April 2020 on Other Voices (Irish TV series).[11]

Discography

EP

  • PowPig/Junior Brother (2019; a 4-A-side single with fellow artist PowPig)

Studio albums

  • Pull The Right Rope (2019)[12][13]
  • The Great Irish Famine (2022)

Awards and nominations

Choice Music Prize
YearNominated WorkAwardResult
2019Pull The Right RopeAlbum of the YearNominated[14]

RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards
YearNominated WorkAwardResult
2019Pull The Right RopeBest Folk AlbumNominated[15]

References
  1. "Junior Brother | Clonakilty International Guitar Festival | 16 – 22 September 2019". clonguitarfest.com.
  2. "Junior Brother To Release 'The Back Of Her Hand'". IMRO. 7 December 2018.
  3. "Former BCFE Rock School student Ronan Kealy (aka. Junior Brother) making waves in Ireland, the UK and beyond this summer". BCFE. 27 August 2019.
  4. O'Sullivan, Eoghan (6 February 2019). "Junior Brother brings his off-kilter alt folk sound to Cork festival". irishexaminer.com.
  5. "Junior Brother". thelist.ie.
  6. "Ones To Watch: Rising Irish Stars of 2018". rte.ie. RTE. 18 March 2018.
  7. "Junior Brother on Breaking Tunes". breakingtunes.com.
  8. Clayton-Lea, Tony (23 May 2019). "Junior Brother: Pull the Right Rope review – The real paradoxical deal". irishtimes.com. The Irish Times.
  9. White, Stephen (17 June 2019). "Review "An album of pure expression" Junior Brother – Pull The Right Rope". thelastmixedtape.com. The Last Mixed Tape.
  10. "Behind the music: Junior Brother". 12 November 2021.
  11. Clark, Stuart (9 April 2020). "Junior Brother, Anna Mieke, Alex Gough, Thumper & A. Smyth appear tonight on Other Voices". Hot Press.
  12. Wilson, Danny (12 June 2019). "Sound: Junior Brother". Totally Dublin.
  13. Porzio, Stephen (22 May 2019). "Kerry folk singer makes excellent debut". Hotpress.
  14. "Choice Music prize 2019". Choice Music Prize. 2019.
  15. "RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Award Winners Announced". Journal of Music. 25 October 2019.


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