Andy Irvine Tickets

Short Biography

Biography
Andy Irvine is a popular folk singer and founding member of the band Planxty. He is an accomplished musician and his talents stretch to mandolin, bouzouki, banjo and harmonica amongst many others. With his impressive repertoire of Irish traditional songs and dexterous Balkan dance tunes, he creates an exciting new fusion of Irish and World Music.

Andy Irvine 70th Birthday Concert featuring: Sweeney's Men, Paul Brady, Dónal Lunny, Liam O'Flynn, Paddy Glackin & Mozaik

"Often copied, never equalled" - The Irish Times

It's funny, whenever I mention Andy Irvine's impending birthday I'm greeted with a raised eyebrow. He couldn't be 70! He doesn't look it! Maybe it's the timeless presence of his music since he set foot on Irish soil in the early 1960s. Or maybe it's the fact that he continues to maintain a seemingly impossible global touring schedule. If you're interested in Irish music, and its possibilities to extend and alloy with other cultures, then Andy Irvine is no doubt a musician you're familiar with.

He graduated through the vibrant scene centred around O'Donoghue's pub of Merrion Row, whose stalwarts included young folk singers such as Ronnie Drew and Luke Kelly as well as elder traditionalists such as Joe Heany and Seamus Ennis, and from which emerged the group Sweeney's Men.

Sweeney's Men are perhaps one of the great lost bands of the 1960s Irish folk world but they are as ground-breaking and important as any of the more talked-about ensembles of the time and very much laid the foundation for what was to follow. The trio consisted of Andy, Johnny Moynihan and (Galway) Joe Dolan - later replaced by Terry Woods - and their alchemic mix was made up of all sorts influences: Andy's obsession with Woody Guthrie, the exotic twang of Moynihan's Greek bouzouki, and a deep well of Irish, Scottish, American folk songs to tamper with.

Throughout the 1970s there continued to exist a dichotomy in Irish music; the ballad bands and traditionalists who kept straight to the script and those who were compelled to experiment and interpret and embrace the melting pot approach to music. Andy Irvine, Dónal Lunny and Johnny Moynihan were three idealists very much coursing through the veins of the latter concept.

Andy went on to enjoy great acclaim and success with Planxty, a band with Lunny, Christy Moore, and piper Liam O'Flynn who changed the landscape once again in the early 1970s. From there he made a timeless, peerless record with Paul Brady in 1976, established a cult-like solo career, formed Patrick Street with the cream of Irish musicians in the mid-1980s, and continued to collaborate with musicians from every corner of the world, notably his mid-00s Mozaik project with Lunny, Dutch fiddler Rens van Der Zalm, American old-timey fiddler Bruce Molsky, and Hungarian multi-instrumentalist Nikola Parov.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Andy's long and complex career is his steadfast passion to tour. A born adventurer, of the musical variety, he never lost hold of his mantra, inspired by his hero Woody Guthrie: Never Tire of the Road.

This concert celebrates 70 years of Andy Irvine, decades of incredible Irish music, how it's evolved and changed and engaged with cultures around the world.

In-depth Biography
Andy Irvine has been a major influence on traditional Irish music for more than three decades. A former member of Sweeny's Men and Planxty, the London-born multi-instrumentalist and vocalist has continued to extend the musical traditions of the Emerald Isle as a soloist, a duet partner of Dick Gaughan and Paul Brady, and a founding member of Irish supergroup Patrick Street.

The son of a Scottish father and an Irish mother, Irvine was inspired by his mother, an actress, to pursue a career in theater and appeared in numerous films and stage productions as a youngster. Music, however, had an even greater lure. After learning to play guitar, Irvine played in several teenaged skiffle bands, acquiring an interest in traditional folk and the songs of Woody Guthrie. Moving to Dublin, Ireland in the early '60s, Irvine became involved with the city's folk circuit, performing with Irish musicians including Johnny Moynihan, Luke Kelly, and Ronnie Drew. In 1966, after touring with Moynihan and Joe Dolan, Irvine helped to form the band, Sweeney's Men. Although they were together for only two years, the group sparked a revival in traditional Irish music and had two hits, "Waxies Dargle" and "Old Maid in the Garret."

Leaving Sweeney's Men in May 1968, Irvine spent a year-and-a-half as a street musician in Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia, developing an understanding of eastern European music. After returning to Ireland, Irvine played with Donal Lunny and Christy Moore. Following his participation in the recording of Moore's 1972 album, Prosperous, Irvine joined with Moore, Lunny, and Liam O'Flynn to form the trad rock band Planxty. Despite numerous personnel changes, the band continued to work together until late 1975.

In 1976 and 1977, Irvine worked with Paul Brady, with whom he recorded an album, and Mick Hanley. When the original lineup of Planxty reunited in 1978, Irvine rejoined the band. He remained with the group until 1983, when Lunny and Moore left to form Moving Hearts. With the breakup of Planxty, Irvine recorded his debut solo album, Rainy Sundays....Windy Dreams and a duo album with Dick Gaughan, Parallel Lines. In addition to performing briefly with De Danann, Irvine performed with Lunny and Declan Masterson in a multi-national band, Mosaic, that focused on traditional Eastern European music.

Irvine formed a duo with Gerry O'Beirne, which was enlarged with the addition of Kevin Burke and Jackie Daly of De Danann. After O'Beirne was replaced by Arty McGlynn, the band named itself Patrick Street and recorded three albums between 1986 and 1989. With the group taking a hiatus in 1989, Irvine recorded his second solo album, Rude Awakening, and the multi-artist compilation East Wind, a collection of Bulgarian and Macedonian tunes. In 1993, Irvine resumed his association with Patrick Street. ~ Craig Harris, Rovi