It’s just past 3pm on a warm summer day when I catch up with Fitz, one-third of Kingfishr, the genre-blending Irish trio who’ve gone from quietly crafting songs on a Limerick dairy farm to headlining the Galway International Arts Festival’s Heineken Big Top, all in the space of three short years. When I call, the band are mid-North American tour and mid-creative sprint, bouncing between soundchecks, airport terminals, and writing sessions. And yet Fitz is unshakably grounded, warm, and modest. No entourage, no polish. Just a musician genuinely grateful, and maybe still a little stunned, by how fast things have taken off. Read all about it here..
If you haven’t heard of Kingfishr, that likely won’t last long. Made up of Fitz (bass), McGoo (banjo), and Eddie (vocals, guitar), the band has become one of Ireland’s most exciting musical exports. Their sound, a blend of sweeping folk balladry, rich instrumentals, and contemporary indie melodies, is as at home echoing around a packed 3Arena as it is with a quiet rendition in a small Irish pub. Their live performances are packed with emotional resonance, their lyrics steeped in both the shared experiences of Irish life and the universal themes of youth, identity, and connection.
Since making their Galway debut to a sold-out crowd at the Róisín Dubh in 2023 as part of their first-ever Irish tour, they’ve racked up over 70 million streams, sold 50,000+ tickets, played support slots for the likes of Dermot Kennedy and Bruce Springsteen, and are key players in the Irish revival alongside acts like The Mary Wallopers, Amble, KNEECAP, and John Francis Flynn. They’ve played Electric Picnic, Glastonbury, Latitude, and are now charting a course that’s as global as it is deeply rooted in home.
Speaking about the band’s astronomical rise, Fitz tells me, “We haven’t really thought too much about why the music connects,” he explains. “I guess there’s authenticity to it, an honesty.” When asked what it is about their sound that seems to cut through so quickly, Fitz pauses, considering for a moment before saying, “We write about real experiences, of what we've been through growing up and we're trying not to shine over that too much. And then it’s just three best friends having the time of our lives.”
Kingfishr’s music is steeped in Irish identity, both in spirit and sound. “It’s probably the most important part for us,” Fitz says. “Trad’s been in McGoo’s life since he was four or five, so that influence is quite heavy on our music.” Two of their biggest tracks — Shot in the Dark and Killeagh — are both rooted in that Irish, folky space, and receive an incredible response wherever they go. Killeagh, a song that nods to hurling and a sense of Irish belonging, has found a home far beyond Ireland. “We did our first ever American tour and people were singing back the words as loud as they do in Ireland,” Fitz says, adding that. “I think there’s something in it, that sense of community and of finding where you belong, that Killeagh has, that’s what people are resonating with.”
Even as international festivals and headline shows keep stacking up, Fitz isn’t in a hurry to map out the future. Still, he has one dream he’ll name: playing the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado. “I think if we could get there, that would be an incredible, incredible experience,” he tells me.
Back home, the near-instant sellout of their Galway show on July 20th was something they couldn’t have predicted. “We weren't sure how it would sell, then we put it out and [tickets] went in an hour.” Fitz says. “We were so grateful and just blown away by the response. And we’re excited to get [to Galway] to play, it’s going to be great.” If they get a spare moment, they might sneak off for a dip in Salthill. But mostly, gig days are packed with soundchecks, fans, merch, music, and they try to savour it. Because no, the feeling hasn’t gotten old. “There’s no other feeling like it," Fitz explains.
It’s clear that Kingfishr have tapped into something powerful, a sound that feels both deeply personal and widely resonant. Whether it’s a banjo riff bouncing off the walls of a packed pub or a lyric echoing through an amphitheatre halfway across the world, the music remains unmistakably theirs.
“We're just following the path that ends up before us,” Fitz says. “Who knows which one we might follow next.”
Their ascendency is set to be amplified with the recent announcement of the release of their long-awaited debut album ‘Halcyon’ on August 22nd. ‘Halcyon’ charts Kingfishr’s journey so far, from early breakthrough favourites right through to brand new material. Visit www.kingfishr.ie for more information, upcoming tour dates, and to sign up to their mailing list.
Kingfishr play the GIAF Heineken Big Top Fisheries Field on Sunday July 20th.
All photos by Henry Pearce.
