A breath of fresh air in Galway's West End

Sumbrellas were formed in July 2009 in multinational, multifunctional Galway, Ireland. The three band members come from very diverse backgrounds. Chris White (vocals/guitar/banjo) comes from Lexington Kentucky, Emmet O’Mally (vocals/guitar/mandolin) is from Galway, Ireland, Federico Betti (fiddle/vocals) is from Milan, Italy. This spread in backgrounds and influences leads to a very unique fusion of rock/folk/trad/bluegrass/pop/blues. Since the group’s inception, they have been blazing a trail in the West of Ireland, with great energetic live performances and top of the range original material. In September 2009, Sumbrellas embarked on their first international tour, taking in towns and cities in Northern Italy to a great reaction. This tour confirmed with the group that their music and live performances has an appeal overseas as well as at home. Sumbrellas recorded their debut E.P. “Fast Music” in October, with local producer David Lyons. The recording is available now at all their live gigs and by mail order to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it In October 2009, while busking in Galway city centre, Sumbrellas were chosen for a cameo performance in the new TV pilot “Jack Taylor – The Guards” a show based on the Ken Bruen novel. Here they appear with Nora-Jane Noone (Magdalene Sisters, The Descent) and also perform their own song “Moonlight”. In November 2009, Sumbrellas embarked on their first U.S. tour, playing dates along the east coast and in New York City. In 2010, Sumbrellas started recording and demoing material for their debut album, "The Willow Pattern" which will be available in August. Until then they plan a US and UK tour and as much gigs and festivals as possible in Ireland. They will also be playing all around Ireland in the coming months, so keep an eye peeled and an apple for the teacher.