Hermitage Green

Hermitage Green formed in Limerick around 2010, playing pub sessions before the songs turned into a full band project. The line-up puts hand percussion, banjo and acoustic guitars up front, with several members singing, so the arrangements tend to build by adding voices rather than volume. Barry Murphy, one of the singers, played rugby for Munster before the band became a full-time concern.

A live album recorded at Whelan's in Dublin did most of the early work of spreading their name, and the group has kept the same approach on record since: songs written to be sung back, with the percussion carrying the rhythm where a drum kit would normally sit. "Quicksand" remains the song most audiences arrive knowing.