The Hooligans were formed in March 2014. The band consists of Liam Halligan and his two daughters - Ailis, aged 14, on piano and 11-year old Maeve on fiddle. We are grateful to local musicians Tim Atkinson, Adrian Inwood and John Starr for their encouragement and assistance in making this recording - which took place at Fairycroft House, a much-loved youth centre in our home town of Saffron Walden, which is threatened with closure. Each track was recorded in one take in the same afternoon recording session on December 30th 2014

Masons Apron - Red Haired Boy

Amazing Grace (vocals)

Carolan's Air

Blackberry Blossom

Toss The Feathers

Red Is The Rose (vocals)

Drowsy Maggie

Lannigan's Ball - Biddy Of Sligo

The Hooligans perform Glass Girl for the first time - on BBC Radio Cambridge. Songs written by 12-year-old Maeve Halligan, and performed by Maeve, her 15-year-old sister Ailis, and Dad Liam

Thanks to Charlie Thompson and "Dancing Glenn" of BBC Radio Cambridge

"Glass Girl" premiers on BBC Radio Cambridge - Jan 18th 2016

Family band - with Maeve Halligan on fiddle and Ailis Halligan on keyboard - playing Irish tunes in the Junction, Cambridge.

Listen to the crowd go mad !!

Hooligans at The Junction, Cambridge

We are a family band, based in Saffron Walden, North Essex, in the East of England. Our speciality is traditional Irish music – both instrumental and vocal – but we also play bluegrass, klezmer and other forms of “folk”. The Hooligans began by accident, after we started experimenting at home with the Irish tunes Liam had heard as a child. Playing for friends and family at first, we were soon regularly performing at parties, fetes and in local pubs. While we're trained musicians, our music is - above all - about camaraderie and fun. The Hooligans' combination of reels, jigs, hornpipes and well-known ballads and airs is guaranteed to get your foot-tapping and put a smile on your face. Oh - and our fiddle-player is 11 and our pianist is just 14

The Hooligans

Popular tracks