Barnbrack | |
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Origin | United Kingdom |
Genres | Pop, folk |
Years active | 1980s–2003; 2009–present |
Labels | Homespun |
Barnbrack is a Northern Irish male vocal/instrumental folk/pop group, with band members Alex Quinn, Jimmy McPeake and Eoin McMahon. The word 'barnbrack' is a play on the Anglicised Irish word "Barmbrack", a type of bread that contains fruit.[1] Barnbrack separated in 2003, after the premature death of Quinn's wife, Deirdre, aged 55.[2]
While Barnbrack have had many popular songs, such as "The Fly" and the "Unicorn Song", the band's only noted chart success was with a single called "Belfast", written by Lisburn-born man and band member Alex Quinn. The song described the feelings felt by an expatriate, who is planning to return to Ulster and the city he left behind.[3] The song was released on the Homespun label. It entered the UK Singles Chart on 16 March 1985, and reached no. 45; it was in the chart for several weeks.[4]
In 2009, the Belfast Telegraph reported that, after six years apart, the former members of the band were planning a reunion. The band is now back together and is currently touring Northern Ireland.[5]