Cork band Cardinals on faith, family and the scars of British violence: ‘It’s shocking to think that could have gone on in your city’

Ahead of the release of their debut album, the lead singer and accordion player of Cardinals talk about the band’s origins

Cardinals, from left: Finn Manning, Aaron Hurley, Euan Manning, Oskar Gudinovic, Darragh Manning. Photo: Ali Quinlan

Cork rock band Cardinals were playing a gig at London’s Moth Club last year when frontman Euan Manning, about to kick off their song The Burning of Cork, remarked on a portrait of Winston Churchill hanging backstage along with the venue’s array of British army memorabilia.

“Some guy in the crowd was like, ‘Whoop’,” his brother, accordionist Finn Manning, says with a groan.