It was October 2011 and lunchtime was approaching at the Women and Agriculture Conference. Ladies were sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation of what is now known as the “surprise act”. Then the doors burst open, the beat of Where the Blarney Roses Grow boomed through the room and in saunters six strapping men in suits – brothers don’t you know? The Willoughby Brothers had the crowd up off their seats before the vocals started and the ladies sang their way to lunchtime.

“That was a great gig,” reminisces Richie Willoughby, the oldest brother. “I remember walking on stage and one of the ladies shouted to her friend: ‘I think they’re strippers.’” The brothers and their father Richard erupt into laughter and so sets the tone for a lovely relaxed interview with Irish Country Living on a sunny Friday in Duckett’s Grove, Carlow. Complemented by tea and delicious scones, we’d be forgiven for enjoying their company the entire day.

Family and familiarity

It’s this sense of family and familiarity that comes across in all the Willoughby Brothers’ concerts and has contributed massively to their popularity, not just in Ireland but in the United States too. Of course, their powerful singing voices also have a role to play, but they haven’t always sang in harmony.

“Before we became a group, we used to sing socially at parties. Of course, back then it was a bit of a competition to better each other,” quips Sammy, the joker of the family.

It was, in fact, the lads’ father and their late mother Breda who encouraged their love of music. They themselves were in a band and Richie even played drums when he was young. But it was Des, the second oldest brother, who followed the music path professionally, singing with the Irish Tenors as well as being a solo performer. On a trip to the States four years ago, he saw three brothers singing and thought: “Myself and the lads could do a doubly good job, on numbers alone.”

“I was a bit sceptical,” says Richie, “but we said we’d give it a go. Des was set to play a gig in Gorey so we decided to sing with him for four songs. I’ll never forget the reaction from the crowd that night. That was when we first realised that we may have something really special here.”

Pinch yourself

This hasn’t been the only “pinch yourself moment” that the Willoughby Brothers have enjoyed. Even though they are all keen handballers (four are even world champions), the brothers have always dreamed of playing in Croke Park on All-Ireland final day.

“Well we played alright,” says Robbie. “However, we were singing instead of kicking a ball.”

That wasn’t the first time Des had sang at an All-Ireland. He performed as a solo act in 2001. Des says: “When I was growing up, I had two dreams. One was to sing the national anthem in Croke Park and the other was to sing at the Rose of Tralee.”

Sammy pipes in: “You achieved the first on your own but you needed a helping hand from your brothers to achieve the second, didn’t you Des?”

As another bout of laughter ensues, it’s clear that despite the closeness of the boys, they all have different characters. While Sammy is the comedian, Des is the professional. The youngest, Jerome, is by far the quietest and we’re told that Johnny is shrewd. Robbie likes to butt in with a joke as well (whenever Sammy gives him the chance). However, it’s Richie, the eldest, that exudes that air of responsibility.

A mother remembered

As Richie, at 15, was the oldest when their mother died, he certainly had an extra load on his shoulders, but he says the formation of the group has really helped to put things on a more even keel. Since their very first show, the Willoughby Brothers have always dedicated a song to their late mother. However, just last month they recorded a video specifically written by Michael English in honour of her memory. Des says: “Obviously, it was a huge blow to our family to lose our mother at such a young age. She was just 36 and Jerome was three.

“The song is very special to us and I suppose a release of emotion. However, it’s not just about our mother. There is a very high rate of cancer in our area in south Wicklow and, unfortunately, we know about eight other families in our area that suffered a similar loss.

“We’re also very conscious at our concerts that there are people in the audience who have lost their mother. For those reasons, we didn’t personalise the song. We want our fans to own the song too.”

Although their mother is missed every day, the Willoughby family continues to grow.

While Johnnie and his partner are expecting their first child in October, Sammy’s wife is also pregnant with baby number two. Robbie recently got engaged to his fiancée Ellie and Richie is following in his parents footsteps with four sons of his own. Despite the fact that the lads see each other very often, they still enjoy each other’s company. In fact, four of the brothers work together in Kerry Foods Shillelagh, just a few miles away from their family home.

“Thankfully we work in different sections, so usually when I see them in work I keep the head down,” says Sammy.

“Seriously though, Kerry Foods has been brilliant in supporting our music, giving us time off when we need to tour.”

A Front room show

Richie says: “You know there are two comments we received since we started that have really resonated with us. The first was a man that said: ‘It’s unusual to have six brothers that actually speak to each other, never mind sing together.’

“Of course, we have heated discussions and we disagree, but it is great to be creating these great memories with your brothers. The other comment we got was from a gentleman who came up to us after a gig and said: ‘Great show, I feel like I’ve been in your living room for the last two and a half hours.’ It was in that moment that we realised that this man summed up exactly what we were trying to achieve, without us even realising it.”

It rings true with all the lads because whether they are performing on Up for the Match or in Cleveland in the United States, they still practise in their Daddy’s front room.

“It’s got the best acoustics,” laughs Des. These brothers certainly have achieved a lot without the help of a PR machine or a record company.

“We never thought we would have achieved so much in the last four years, but we’ve worked hard, we’ve had a bit of luck on our side and long may it continue,” concludes Richie.