'Born into a repressed, catholic, conservative, small-town, agrarian, angst-ridden and showband infested society we're trying to preserve the positive elements of our background and marry them to the sounds which have culturally invaded our milieu through TV, radio, 45's, fast food restaurants, 24 hour petrol stations and electric blankets!'

“Tarab” (in Arabic) is a state of ecstasy and surrender one enters while listening, with body and soul, to music.

Assembled and fronted by Co. Clare singer-songwriter David Hope in the summer of 2009, Hope joined forces with Cork based musicians, Eoin Jordan (The Céilí All Stars) and David Murphy (The Lost Brothers / John Blek & The Rats / Monorail) to form what was the original line up of the band, David Hope & The Henchmen.
David Hope and band quickly made a name for themselves on the Irish Folk / Americana scene and have played many festivals including the Shannonside Winter Music Festival, Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival, The Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival, The Cork Folk Festival, Terminal Convention Music & Arts Festival and The Clonakilty International Guitar Festival plus over 150 gigs at a host of Ireland’s top venues.

The Henchmen’s dynamic sound is steeped in vintage country blues, foot-stompin’ American mountain folk, a pinch of alt.country twang - all soaked in a distinctly Irish whiskey flavour. The band are influenced by many styles of music; the classic rural American recordings of Lightnin’ Hopkins and Hank Williams, the traditional Irish folk of Planxty, great songwriters like Tom Waits and Steve Earle, right up towards the contemporary Americana sounds of Calexico and Gillian Welch.
In 2011, the band launched their EP 'Hell or High Water' produced by the highly acclaimed musician and producer, Declan Sinnott (Christy Moore / Moving Hearts). The first single 'Hell or High Water' was released in April 2011 to great reviews and radioplay and was followed up with the band’s first music video, produced by IMTV award winning film maker, Shaun O’Connor.

Press:

“David Hope & The Henchmen are one of the very best Roots-related outfits operating at present. They seamlessly blend Folk and Roots inflections with grittily intelligent lyrics and enviably catchy choruses which simply cry out for airplay. They’ve finally got all that down on record and they’ve pulled it off in style. Game on.”
- Whisperin’ and Hollerin’ (U.K.)

“…’Hell or High Water’ is a melting pot of traditional American country, traditional Irish and rootsy Americana. The Declan Sinnott production on the track allows Hope’s vocals to breathe while surrounded by a fantastic arrangement. Subtle electric guitar licks and bass never overpower while a brushed snare rhythm drives the track on.”
-nessymon.com (Irl)

“Quality first single from the recently formed group, David Hope & The Henchmen … it’s a great introduction to the band who have a bunch of amazing songs in them!”
- 2 U I Bestow (Irl)



The second you hear the ebb and flow of the music that emanates from David Munnelly’s accordion, you will be instantly convinced that this man was born with a button box in his hands. Hailing from Belmullet, a small town by the sea in Co. Mayo, Ireland, David has carried the strong musical tradition from his home and family across the world.

David is known for his colourful style which inhales bold bass fingerings, complex arrangements and modern compositions; and exhales hints of the Roaring 20′s and the energy of a box of dynamite coupled with a masterful knack for letting a tune take its own time for a completely unmistakeable and brilliant sound.

This unique style led David into the world of professional musicianship where early in his career he became a full-time member of Niamh Parsons’ band the Loose Connections. As his reputation grew in Irish trad circles, David quickly found himself recording and touring with some of the greatest Irish bands and musicians of the last century including The Chieftains, De Danann, Gerry O Connor, Arty McGlynn and Sharon Shannon.

After gaining ample experience and knowledge from his exceptional peers, David formed the David Munnelly Band in1999 and began a thirteen year journey with his own band touring Europe, America and Japan and recording four critically acclaimed CD’s.

Recently David has expanded his repertoire to mainland Europe where he is currently working on several new projects. Along with the most respected accordion players in Europe, David currently performs with the Accordion Samurai, who’s debut CD has won numerous high-profile awards. Additionally, David released  " t'is what it is"  a successful duo CD with fiddler Mick Conneely in 2012.

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