It didn’t take long during their first studio rehearsal for them to realise that the way their individual voices blended together meant that they were onto something special. The High Kings play thirteen instruments between them, creating the unique sound and atmosphere that they still showcase to this day. This was confirmed when their self-titled debut album reached number two on the world Billboard Music chart. In March 2009, The High Kings played five consecutive sold-out shows to a packed audience in Dublin’s Olympia Theatre.

Towards the end of 2009, The High Kings licensed their second studio album, Memory Lane, to Universal Music Ireland, signifying the fast trajectory the band had taken in their short lifespan. Memory Lane was released in February 2010, and after a successful Irish tour, the album went platinum in June, only four months after its initial release. They followed Memory Lane with a Live in Ireland album, which received critical acclaim, as it showcased the energy the band brings to their live shows.

By 2011, the band had outgrown the venues they had been playing and began performing in larger venues not only in Ireland, but also in America and across Europe. Many fans became regular faces, effectively following the band on their sold-out tours—many crossing oceans and borders throughout the world just to see their favourite band perform live. People loved what they were doing: bringing a new take on traditional Irish ballads to audiences of multiple generations. In 2013, the band licensed their forthcoming album, Friends for Life, to Sony Worldwide—another indication of their global appeal. Friends for Life featured eight original songs written and composed by the band and was released in 2013. Taking their original songs on the road was a new and exciting milestone for the band, and it wasn’t long before the likes of Oh Maggie and Ireland’s Shore were being sung back to them by audiences.

November 2014 marked another milestone for the band when they recorded Four Friends Live at the Millennium Forum in Derry. This was their first joint CD/DVD and their first live DVD recording since their debut DVD, Live in Dublin, in 2008. The early part of 2016 was spent back in the studio recording their Grace & Glory album. The album charted at number one on the Irish Indie charts and was very well received by critics and fans alike. The rest of 2016 and early 2017 was spent touring the new album extensively. Over the past twelve years, The High Kings have released four studio albums, two live albums, and two DVDs. In 2017, they released a compilation album, Decade, which celebrated ten amazingly successful years together and also included five brand-new recordings.

In 2012, they performed for President Obama in Moneygall, which led to a personal invitation from the President to perform at the 2012 White House St. Patrick’s Day celebration. They flew directly from London, where they had already been the headline act for the Lord Mayor of London’s St. Patrick’s Day concert. In 2015, The High Kings were invited to the Pentagon as guests of General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They performed alongside the US Marine Corps Band, marking another special occasion for the group. To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Irish rugby anthem Ireland’s Call, the band were asked by the original composer, Phil Coulter, to record their own version, which was subsequently included in the TV3 documentary.

The High Kings continue to set the bar extremely high for Irish folk bands across the world and are widely regarded as being at the forefront of the genre.