Junior Brother

Junior Brother is the stage name of Ronan Kealy, an Irish alternative folk singer-songwriter from Killarney, County Kerry, born in 1993. His music combines Irish and English folk influences with a distinctive personal style.

Early life and name

Kealy develops an interest in music from an early age and writes his first song at the age of nine, after teaching himself guitar on a worn nylon acoustic guitar. He is born outside Killarney in County Kerry and later lives in Dublin.

The name Junior Brother comes from a character in the Jacobean play The Revenger's Tragedy, which Kealy studies while reading English at University College Cork. His time at the university also helps shape his poetic writing style.

Career

Kealy briefly studies music in Dublin before releasing his second EP, Fuck Off I Love You, in 2016. The record receives radio play and support from stations including 2fm, Radio Nova and Dublin's 98fm. He also adds foot tambourine to his performance setup as part of his developing sound and builds a dedicated following with successive releases.