Shamrock Tenors, at Hamer Hall and touring - 100 minutes, with no interval

Do the Irish know how to have good time and carry everyone in the vicinity along with them or what? Never truer words have been written.

And so it is with a dynamic, world class, musical stage show in which Irish charm and soaring harmonies sit comfortably alongside soulful ballads.

The Shamrock Tenors* consist of a superbly talented quintet, backed by a vibrant four-piece band (well, five, if you count one of the multi-instrumental tenors).

They come direct from Belfast and London’s West End, and this is their first Australian tour.

These guys aren’t just good; they’re great, as they work their way through a diverse repertoire of Irish songs, with a Slim Dusty favourite thrown in for good measure.

Among them are classics such as Whiskey in the Jar, The Parting Glass, Wild Rover and Danny Boy, but there are many others. In fact, more than a couple of dozen, if you count medleys.

The Shamrock Tenors’ vocalisation is mighty special and each has their time to shine, as chorus numbers are mixed with solo vignettes.

With broad smiles, genuine warmth and infectious personalities, they create a party atmosphere.

It is indicative of what you would find while enjoying an ale at an Irish pub.

And they get the audience joining in the merriment.

Along the way, they spin a few yarns, including a poignant tale about the background to the beloved song Danny Boy.

As a treat, West End leading lady Lauren Drew, who has performed iconic roles such as Fantine in Les Misérables, also puts in an appearance.

With stunning clarity, Lauren, who is Raymond’s fiancé, performs a poignant rendition of I Dreamed a Dream from that musical.

So, as far as I am concerned, the Shamrock Tenors is a must-see show – 100 minutes of non-stop entertainment of the highest order, with widespread appeal.

They have four more performances in Australia before they move on.

They are at The Round in Nunawading (Melbourne) on 23^rd September and Kings Theatre in Caloundra (Queensland) on 30^th September.

Then it is onto QPAC in Brisbane on 1^st October and the Sydney Opera House on 8^th October, 2025.

For more information and tickets, go to https://shamrocktenors.com

*The five are Raymond and Jack Walsh, Jimmy and Nathan Johnston and Matthew Campbell, the latter of whom can also play no less than 14 instruments.

In this show, he usually has a guitar in hand, but also plays the piano, the bodhran (an Irish drum) and the whistle.

So, he plies his craft alongside drummer Brian Rice, fiddle player Calum Bell, Cormac Crummey on guitar and banjo, and Darragh Murphy.

The latter is adept on uilleann pipes (the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland) and whistle.