Planxty
Encyclopedia
Planxty is an Irish
folk music
band
formed in the 1970s, consisting initially of Christy Moore
(vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán
), Dónal Lunny
(bouzouki
, guitars), Andy Irvine
(vocals, mandolin
, mandola
, bouzouki
, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica
), and Liam O'Flynn
(uilleann pipes
, tin whistle
). Subsequently, Johnny Moynihan
, Matt Molloy
(flute
), Bill Whelan
(keyboards
) and, briefly, Paul Brady
were also members. The band was formed in 1972, and quickly revolutionized and popularized Irish folk music, touring and recording to great acclaim. The band broke up twice, first in 1975 and again in 1983. The band re-united again in 2003. Their final performance (to date) was in 2005.
in many of his works, and is believed to denote a tribute to a particular person: "Planxty Irwin", for example, would be in honor of Colonel John Irwin of Sligo
. "Planxty" is thought to be a corruption of the Irish
word and popular toast
"sláinte
", meaning "good health". Others claim that the word is not Irish in origin but comes from the Latin "plangere," meaning to strike or beat. Alternatively, its origin may stem from the Irish phrase "phlean an tí" meaning "from the house of". During the penal law era
of Ireland's history, songs sung in Irish were outlawed, and it is believed that the use of the phrase "Planxty", followed by the name of the composer, was to disguise the composer's true identity ("Planxty" being logically assumed to be the first name of the composer), while still giving them credit for the song. Another possible explanation is that it is derived from the Latin Planctus
, a medieval lament. Regardless of its origin, the moniker, which replaced the provisional "CLAD" (Christy - Liam - Andy - Dónal), turned out to be a good fit, as O'Carolan's music would play an important part in the band's repertoire. (see "Influences", below).
James Joyce
used the word "planxty" in his 1939 novel Finnegans Wake
; it is featured in the sentence "Poof! There's puff for ye, begor, and planxty of it, all abound me breadth!"
released his second album Prosperous, which was recorded during the summer of 1971 in a house in the village of the same name
and featured his old schoolmate Dónal Lunny
, along with Andy Irvine (who'd been working as a duo with Lunny), and Liam O'Flynn
(with whom both Moore and Lunny had played at local sessions). Shortly thereafter, the four joined forces to form Planxty, recording their first single on January 18, 1972, appearing together on RTE
's The Late, Late Show soon after, and playing their first show on March 6 – a 30 minute set at "The Mugs Gig" - on a bill that included balladeer Paddy Reilly
. The band assumed a weekly residence at The Mugs, began rehearsing, and started playing live around Ireland. The group's first major performance - opening for Donovan
in Galway
- was a huge success. Neither the audience nor the band knew what to expect, and both were pleasantly surprised. Irvine, unable to see the audience through the glare of the stage lights, was worried that the crowd might be on the verge of rioting. It took him several minutes to realize that what he was hearing was the expression of their enthusiasm. (On the 2004 retrospective, The Christy Moore Box Set, a rough quality recording of the song "Raggle Taggle Gypsy
" from this concert was included, complete with the audience's reaction.)
Planxty’s first single, “Three Drunken Maidens” was released by their manager Des Kelly’s label, Ruby Records, reaching #7 in the Irish charts. The next single, a re-recording of The Cliffs of Dooneen (previously recorded for the Prosperous album) made it to #3. Three full albums followed, and the group’s increasing popularity led to heavy touring throughout Ireland, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Northern Europe.
However, touring, financial difficulties, and other interests and agendas of the players led to membership changes and the band’s break up in 1975. The band would reunite three years later, going on tour and releasing three more full-length albums before dissolving in 1983. The original line up of Moore, Lunny, Irvine and O’Flynn would reunite 20 years later for a one-off show at The Royal Spa in Lisdoonvarna, which led to additional shows in Dublin, Belfast
and County Clare
in 2004, and London
in January 2005, and the release of "Live 2004" on DVD
and CD.
Broadcaster and journalist Leagues O'Toole documented the band in the biography The Humours of Planxty, which was published by Hodder Headline
in 2006. O’Toole had earlier worked on a documentary about the band for the RTE
television show No Disco
, which Christy Moore credits with inspiring the reunion.
and Dónal Lunny
had been friends since schooldays, Lunny having taught Christy how to play both guitar & bodhrán
. Lunny had been playing shows in a duet with Andy Irvine
. Liam O'Flynn
was playing in public and on the radio, and was well respected in traditional folk circles. All members were familiar with one another’s work, to varying degree, but were first brought together in the summer of 1971 by request of Moore, to record his second album, Prosperous
. Beginning their recording and live life as a band in January 1972, this line up recorded the band’s first two singles, two full-length albums (“Planxty” and “The Well Below The Valley”) and toured all over Ireland, Britain and Europe. Tired of constant touring and wishing to explore other musical avenues, Dónal Lunny left the band in July, 1973. He would eventually end up a member of The Bothy Band
. Johnny Moynihan
, who had played with Irvine in Sweeney's Men
joined at this point, playing mandolin, bouzouki, fiddle, and singing. This line up, with contributions from Lunny, would record Planxy’s third album, “Cold Blow & The Rainy Night”.
Next to leave was Christy Moore, in the spring of 1974. Moore had a desire to return to his solo career and perform from a larger repertoire of songs. The split was amicable, and while Paul Brady
was recruited to fill the gap in the spring of 1974, Moore stayed on with him in the band until October. After his departure, the Irvine / Moynihan / Brady / O’Flynn line up toured extensively, but released no recordings before playing their final show in Brussels
on December 5, 1975.
After the break-up, Brady released an album with Irvine, followed by a solo album, before moving into pop music territory. Moynihan retreated into obscurity, continuing to perform occasionally, but rarely recording. The original four members of Planxty, however, continued to encounter each other socially, on the stage, and in the studio. This eventually led to a reunion in 1979, encouraged by music promoter Kevin Flynn, who would become their manager. They were joined this time by Matt Molloy
, who had been a member of The Bothy Band
with Lunny. Starting rehearsals at Molloy’s home on September 19, 1978, this line would resume touring in 1979 and record the album “After the Break’’. Molloy would leave the group to join The Chieftains
after the album was recorded, and remains with them to this day.
In February 1980, two musicians from County Clare
began performing live with Planxty: concertina
player Noel Hill
and fiddler Tony Linnane. The six-member line up of Moore, Irvine, Lunny, O’Flynn, Hill and Linnane were joined by Matt Molloy
and keyboardist Bill Whelan
and when the band went into the studio in the spring of 1980 to record the album “The Woman I Loved So Well”.
The band began touring as a four piece the summer of 1980, joined in the fall by Whelan, and later by a young Cork
fiddler Nollaig Casey
. Shows around this time would feature the four piece band for the first set, with Whelan and Casey joining in for the second set. This line up played a week of shows at the Olympia Theatre
in Dublin on 18–23 October 1980. The shows were all taped for a potential live album. The tapes eventually saw the light of day in the unlicensed 1987 release “The Best of Planxty Live”. This line up, augmented by a full orchestra & rhythm section, would record “Timedance” in 1981 as part of the Eurovision Song Contest
. Timedance was the genesis for what Whelan would later develop into Riverdance
.
The six-piece Planxty continued to tour, but the band began to drift apart. Liam O’Flynn took on a project with Shaun Davey
(“Brendan’s Voyage”). Moore & Lunny, eager to experiment with a rhythm section and a different, more political, song set, formed the band Moving Hearts
. Lunny also kept busy producing albums by other bands.
The original 4-piece line up played their last show together on the 24 of August 1982, at the National Stadium in Dublin. Nevertheless, with Whelan and Casey still on board, the band recorded one final album in the fall of 1982, “Words And Music”. The album also included contributions from fiddler James Kelly and Moving Hearts
bass guitarist Eoghan O’Neill.
The divided attention of two bands proved too much, and in 1983, Dónal Lunny and Christy Moore left to concentrate on Moving Hearts
. Irvine, O’Flynn and Whelan decided to continue the band, recruiting John Kelly, Arty McGlynn
of County Tyrone
on guitar, and Galway
’s Dolores Keane
on vocals and a plethora of traditional instruments. Irvine would later dub this line up “Planxty-Too-Far”, as the line up and musical focus (now more dominated by Whelan) was too far removed from what Planxty was. A tour of Ireland in spring of 1983 would be the end of the group, with planned fall shows never materializing.
Twenty years later, Paddy Dougherty, owner of the Royal Spa Hotel in Lisdoonvarna and co-founder of the Lisdoonvarna Festival, encouraged the group to reunite. He arranged for their use of the dining room for rehearsals which led to a one-off show in front of 200 people on the 11th of October, 2003. Pleased with the results and the experience of playing together again, the original Planxty would stay together for almost two more years, which led to additional shows in Dublin, Belfast
and County Clare
in 2004, and London
in January 2005, and the release of "Live 2004" on DVD
and CD. The band remained a four piece, with Christy handling occasional keyboards.
John "Jacko" Reilly
who hailed from Boyle
, Co. Roscommon. It was from Reilly that Moore learned "Raggle Taggle Gypsy
", which was recorded for the first Planxty album, in addition to "The Well Below the Valley
," which appeared on The Well Below the Valley. Christy later dipped into Reilly's songbook again for an updated version of the lengthy ballad "Lord Baker," which was featured on Planxty's 1983 album "Words & Music". ("Baker" appears to be a mondegreen
for the "Beichan" of earlier versions.) Jacko Reilly died in 1969 at the age of 44, shortly after being found beneath his coats in the top room of his dwelling in Boyle by Tom Munnelly
, who had originally collected his songs for archiving.
The music of Turlough O'Carolan
appeared on a number of Planxty albums (including the B-side of their very first single), often played by Liam O'Flynn
on the pipes. Much of this music first came to the attention of the band through the work of seminal Irish composer Seán Ó Riada
and his group Ceoltóirí Chualann
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
formed in the 1970s, consisting initially of Christy Moore
Christy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
(vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán
Bodhrán
The bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
), Dónal Lunny
Dónal Lunny
Dónal Lunny is an Irish folk musician. Lunny has been at the forefront of the evolution of traditional Irish music for more than thirty-five years and has participated within the renaissance of traditional Irish music in that time period...
(bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, guitars), Andy Irvine
Andy Irvine (musician)
Andrew Kennedy 'Andy' Irvine is a folk musician, singer, and songwriter, and a founding member of the popular band Planxty. He is an accomplished player of the mandolin, bouzouki, mandola, guitar-bouzouki, harmonica and hurdy-gurdy....
(vocals, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, mandola
Mandola
The mandola or tenor mandola is a fretted, stringed musical instrument. It is to the mandolin what the viola is to the violin: the four double courses of strings tuned in fifths to the same pitches as the viola , a fifth lower than a mandolin...
, bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
), and Liam O'Flynn
Liam O'Flynn
Liam O'Flynn is a master uilleann piper and prominent Irish folk musician. In addition to an impressive solo career and his work with the Irish traditional group Planxty, O'Flynn has recorded with many prominent international musical artists, including Mark Knopfler, the Everly Brothers, Enya,...
(uilleann pipes
Uilleann pipes
The uilleann pipes or //; ) are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland, their current name, earlier known in English as "union pipes", is a part translation of the Irish-language term píobaí uilleann , from their method of inflation.The bag of the uilleann pipes is inflated by means of a...
, tin whistle
Tin whistle
The tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
). Subsequently, Johnny Moynihan
Johnny Moynihan
John "Johnny" Moynihan , is a folk singer based in Dublin, Ireland. He is often credited as being responsible for introducing the bouzouki and the Irish bouzouki into Irish music in the mid 1960s. Known as "The Bard of Dalymount", as a young man he played in the band Sweeney's Men with Andy Irvine,...
, Matt Molloy
Matt Molloy
Matt Molloy is an Irish musician, from a region known for producing talented flautists. As a child, he began playing the flute and won the All-Ireland Flute Championship at only seventeen years old...
(flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
), Bill Whelan
Bill Whelan
Bill Whelan, is an Irish composer and musician. He is best known for composing a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The end result, Riverdance, was a seven-minute display of traditional Irish dancing that became a full-length stage production and spawned a worldwide craze...
(keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
) and, briefly, Paul Brady
Paul Brady
Paul Joseph Brady is an Irish singer-songwriter, whose work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age...
were also members. The band was formed in 1972, and quickly revolutionized and popularized Irish folk music, touring and recording to great acclaim. The band broke up twice, first in 1975 and again in 1983. The band re-united again in 2003. Their final performance (to date) was in 2005.
Etymology
"Planxty" is a word used by the classic harper Turlough O'CarolanTurlough O'Carolan
Turlough Carolan, also known as Turlough O'Carolan, was a blind, early Irish harper, composer and singer whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. He was the last great Irish harper-composer and is considered by many to be Ireland's national composer...
in many of his works, and is believed to denote a tribute to a particular person: "Planxty Irwin", for example, would be in honor of Colonel John Irwin of Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
. "Planxty" is thought to be a corruption of the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
word and popular toast
Toast (honor)
A toast is a ritual in which a drink is taken as an expression of honor or goodwill. The term may be applied to the person or thing so honored, the drink taken, or the verbal expression accompanying the drink. Thus, a person could be "the toast of the evening," for whom someone "proposes a toast"...
"sláinte
Slàinte
Sláinte is a word literally translating as "health" and is commonly used as a drinking toast in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.-Variations:...
", meaning "good health". Others claim that the word is not Irish in origin but comes from the Latin "plangere," meaning to strike or beat. Alternatively, its origin may stem from the Irish phrase "phlean an tí" meaning "from the house of". During the penal law era
Penal Laws (Ireland)
The term Penal Laws in Ireland were a series of laws imposed under English and later British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour of members of the established Church of Ireland....
of Ireland's history, songs sung in Irish were outlawed, and it is believed that the use of the phrase "Planxty", followed by the name of the composer, was to disguise the composer's true identity ("Planxty" being logically assumed to be the first name of the composer), while still giving them credit for the song. Another possible explanation is that it is derived from the Latin Planctus
Planctus
A planctus is a lament or dirge, a song or poem expressing grief or mourning. It became a popular literary form in the Middle Ages, when they were written in Latin and in the vernacular . The most common planctus is to mourn the death of a famous person, but a number of other varieties have been...
, a medieval lament. Regardless of its origin, the moniker, which replaced the provisional "CLAD" (Christy - Liam - Andy - Dónal), turned out to be a good fit, as O'Carolan's music would play an important part in the band's repertoire. (see "Influences", below).
James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
used the word "planxty" in his 1939 novel Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake
Finnegans Wake is a novel by Irish author James Joyce, significant for its experimental style and resulting reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the English language. Written in Paris over a period of seventeen years, and published in 1939, two years before the author's...
; it is featured in the sentence "Poof! There's puff for ye, begor, and planxty of it, all abound me breadth!"
History
In 1972 Christy MooreChristy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
released his second album Prosperous, which was recorded during the summer of 1971 in a house in the village of the same name
Prosperous, County Kildare
Prosperous is a village in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is within the townland of Curryhills, at the junction of the R403 and R408 regional roads, about from Dublin. Its population of 1,939 makes it the 14th largest town in County Kildare....
and featured his old schoolmate Dónal Lunny
Dónal Lunny
Dónal Lunny is an Irish folk musician. Lunny has been at the forefront of the evolution of traditional Irish music for more than thirty-five years and has participated within the renaissance of traditional Irish music in that time period...
, along with Andy Irvine (who'd been working as a duo with Lunny), and Liam O'Flynn
Liam O'Flynn
Liam O'Flynn is a master uilleann piper and prominent Irish folk musician. In addition to an impressive solo career and his work with the Irish traditional group Planxty, O'Flynn has recorded with many prominent international musical artists, including Mark Knopfler, the Everly Brothers, Enya,...
(with whom both Moore and Lunny had played at local sessions). Shortly thereafter, the four joined forces to form Planxty, recording their first single on January 18, 1972, appearing together on RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
's The Late, Late Show soon after, and playing their first show on March 6 – a 30 minute set at "The Mugs Gig" - on a bill that included balladeer Paddy Reilly
Paddy Reilly
Patrick 'Paddy' Reilly is an Irish folk singer and guitarist. He is one of Ireland's most famous balladeers and is best known for his renditions of "The Fields of Athenry" and "The Town I Loved So Well"....
. The band assumed a weekly residence at The Mugs, began rehearsing, and started playing live around Ireland. The group's first major performance - opening for Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
in Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
- was a huge success. Neither the audience nor the band knew what to expect, and both were pleasantly surprised. Irvine, unable to see the audience through the glare of the stage lights, was worried that the crowd might be on the verge of rioting. It took him several minutes to realize that what he was hearing was the expression of their enthusiasm. (On the 2004 retrospective, The Christy Moore Box Set, a rough quality recording of the song "Raggle Taggle Gypsy
The Gypsy Laddie
"The Gypsy Laddie" , also known as "Black Jack Davy" and "The Raggle Taggle Gypsies" among many other titles, is a Border ballad , possibly written about 1720 on the Scottish side of the border...
" from this concert was included, complete with the audience's reaction.)
Planxty’s first single, “Three Drunken Maidens” was released by their manager Des Kelly’s label, Ruby Records, reaching #7 in the Irish charts. The next single, a re-recording of The Cliffs of Dooneen (previously recorded for the Prosperous album) made it to #3. Three full albums followed, and the group’s increasing popularity led to heavy touring throughout Ireland, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Northern Europe.
However, touring, financial difficulties, and other interests and agendas of the players led to membership changes and the band’s break up in 1975. The band would reunite three years later, going on tour and releasing three more full-length albums before dissolving in 1983. The original line up of Moore, Lunny, Irvine and O’Flynn would reunite 20 years later for a one-off show at The Royal Spa in Lisdoonvarna, which led to additional shows in Dublin, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
in 2004, and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in January 2005, and the release of "Live 2004" on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and CD.
Broadcaster and journalist Leagues O'Toole documented the band in the biography The Humours of Planxty, which was published by Hodder Headline
Hodder Headline
Headline Publishing Group is a British publishing company. It was founded in 1986 by Tim Hely Hutchinson, and acquired Hodder & Stoughton in 1992 to form Hodder Headline. It was acquired by Hachette Livre, from the WHSmith Group PLC, in 2005....
in 2006. O’Toole had earlier worked on a documentary about the band for the RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
television show No Disco
No Disco
No Disco was RTÉ's flagship music television programme, broadcast on Irish television channel, Network 2, from 1993 - 2003. It was presented by Donal Dineen, Uaneen Fitzsimons and, following the death of Fitzsimons, Lawrence "Leagues" O'Toole...
, which Christy Moore credits with inspiring the reunion.
Membership
Christy MooreChristy Moore
Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore is a popular Irish folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is well known as one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts...
and Dónal Lunny
Dónal Lunny
Dónal Lunny is an Irish folk musician. Lunny has been at the forefront of the evolution of traditional Irish music for more than thirty-five years and has participated within the renaissance of traditional Irish music in that time period...
had been friends since schooldays, Lunny having taught Christy how to play both guitar & bodhrán
Bodhrán
The bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side...
. Lunny had been playing shows in a duet with Andy Irvine
Andy Irvine (musician)
Andrew Kennedy 'Andy' Irvine is a folk musician, singer, and songwriter, and a founding member of the popular band Planxty. He is an accomplished player of the mandolin, bouzouki, mandola, guitar-bouzouki, harmonica and hurdy-gurdy....
. Liam O'Flynn
Liam O'Flynn
Liam O'Flynn is a master uilleann piper and prominent Irish folk musician. In addition to an impressive solo career and his work with the Irish traditional group Planxty, O'Flynn has recorded with many prominent international musical artists, including Mark Knopfler, the Everly Brothers, Enya,...
was playing in public and on the radio, and was well respected in traditional folk circles. All members were familiar with one another’s work, to varying degree, but were first brought together in the summer of 1971 by request of Moore, to record his second album, Prosperous
Prosperous
Prosperous is the second album by Irish folk musician Christy Moore, released in 1972. His first album, Paddy On The Road was recorded by Dominic Behan in 1969 and has long been out of print...
. Beginning their recording and live life as a band in January 1972, this line up recorded the band’s first two singles, two full-length albums (“Planxty” and “The Well Below The Valley”) and toured all over Ireland, Britain and Europe. Tired of constant touring and wishing to explore other musical avenues, Dónal Lunny left the band in July, 1973. He would eventually end up a member of The Bothy Band
The Bothy Band
The Bothy Band was an Irish traditional band active during the late 1970s. It quickly gained a reputation as one of the most influential bands playing Irish traditional music...
. Johnny Moynihan
Johnny Moynihan
John "Johnny" Moynihan , is a folk singer based in Dublin, Ireland. He is often credited as being responsible for introducing the bouzouki and the Irish bouzouki into Irish music in the mid 1960s. Known as "The Bard of Dalymount", as a young man he played in the band Sweeney's Men with Andy Irvine,...
, who had played with Irvine in Sweeney's Men
Sweeney's Men
Sweeney's Men was an Irish traditional band. They emerged from the late 1960s Irish roots revival, along with groups such as The Dubliners and the Clancy Brothers. The founding line-up in May 1966 was 'Galway Joe' Dolan, Johnny Moynihan and Andy Irvine....
joined at this point, playing mandolin, bouzouki, fiddle, and singing. This line up, with contributions from Lunny, would record Planxy’s third album, “Cold Blow & The Rainy Night”.
Next to leave was Christy Moore, in the spring of 1974. Moore had a desire to return to his solo career and perform from a larger repertoire of songs. The split was amicable, and while Paul Brady
Paul Brady
Paul Joseph Brady is an Irish singer-songwriter, whose work straddles folk and pop. He was interested in a wide variety of music from an early age...
was recruited to fill the gap in the spring of 1974, Moore stayed on with him in the band until October. After his departure, the Irvine / Moynihan / Brady / O’Flynn line up toured extensively, but released no recordings before playing their final show in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
on December 5, 1975.
After the break-up, Brady released an album with Irvine, followed by a solo album, before moving into pop music territory. Moynihan retreated into obscurity, continuing to perform occasionally, but rarely recording. The original four members of Planxty, however, continued to encounter each other socially, on the stage, and in the studio. This eventually led to a reunion in 1979, encouraged by music promoter Kevin Flynn, who would become their manager. They were joined this time by Matt Molloy
Matt Molloy
Matt Molloy is an Irish musician, from a region known for producing talented flautists. As a child, he began playing the flute and won the All-Ireland Flute Championship at only seventeen years old...
, who had been a member of The Bothy Band
The Bothy Band
The Bothy Band was an Irish traditional band active during the late 1970s. It quickly gained a reputation as one of the most influential bands playing Irish traditional music...
with Lunny. Starting rehearsals at Molloy’s home on September 19, 1978, this line would resume touring in 1979 and record the album “After the Break’’. Molloy would leave the group to join The Chieftains
The Chieftains
The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
after the album was recorded, and remains with them to this day.
In February 1980, two musicians from County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
began performing live with Planxty: concertina
Concertina
A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It has a bellows and buttons typically on both ends of it. When pressed, the buttons travel in the same direction as the bellows, unlike accordion buttons which travel perpendicularly to it...
player Noel Hill
Noel Hill
Noel Hill is an Irish concertina-player.-Biography:Noel Hill was born in 1958, in Caherea in West County Clare, Ireland, into a big family with 7 siblings. His parents and grandparents were all concertina players. He was particularly influenced by his uncle, Padraig A Chnoic,...
and fiddler Tony Linnane. The six-member line up of Moore, Irvine, Lunny, O’Flynn, Hill and Linnane were joined by Matt Molloy
Matt Molloy
Matt Molloy is an Irish musician, from a region known for producing talented flautists. As a child, he began playing the flute and won the All-Ireland Flute Championship at only seventeen years old...
and keyboardist Bill Whelan
Bill Whelan
Bill Whelan, is an Irish composer and musician. He is best known for composing a piece for the interval of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The end result, Riverdance, was a seven-minute display of traditional Irish dancing that became a full-length stage production and spawned a worldwide craze...
and when the band went into the studio in the spring of 1980 to record the album “The Woman I Loved So Well”.
The band began touring as a four piece the summer of 1980, joined in the fall by Whelan, and later by a young Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
fiddler Nollaig Casey
Nollaig Casey
Nollaig Casey is an Irish fiddle player ,and has an international reputation as one of Ireland's finest fiddle players. By the time she was eleven years old she could play violin, piano, tin whistle and uilleann pipes. During her teenage years she learned to play in both the classical and...
. Shows around this time would feature the four piece band for the first set, with Whelan and Casey joining in for the second set. This line up played a week of shows at the Olympia Theatre
Olympia Theatre, Dublin
The Olympia Theatre is a concert hall/theatre venue in Dublin, Ireland, located in Dame Street.-History:Built in 1879, it was originally called the "Star of Erin Music Hall". Two years later in 1881, it was renamed "Dan Lowrey's Music Hall" and was renamed again in 1889 to "Dan Lowrey's Palace of...
in Dublin on 18–23 October 1980. The shows were all taped for a potential live album. The tapes eventually saw the light of day in the unlicensed 1987 release “The Best of Planxty Live”. This line up, augmented by a full orchestra & rhythm section, would record “Timedance” in 1981 as part of the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. Timedance was the genesis for what Whelan would later develop into Riverdance
Riverdance
Riverdance is a theatrical show consisting of traditional Irish stepdancing, notable for its rapid leg movements while body and arms are kept largely stationary. It originated as an interval performance during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, a moment that is still considered a significant...
.
The six-piece Planxty continued to tour, but the band began to drift apart. Liam O’Flynn took on a project with Shaun Davey
Shaun Davey
- Early years :Shaun Davey was born in Belfast in 1948. He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in the history of Art in 1971. He then took a master's degree at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. In the late 1970s, he made his first recording, "Davey and Morris," with Donal Lunny and others...
(“Brendan’s Voyage”). Moore & Lunny, eager to experiment with a rhythm section and a different, more political, song set, formed the band Moving Hearts
Moving Hearts
Moving Hearts is an Irish folk-rock band formed in 1981. They followed in the footsteps of Horslips in combining Irish traditional music with rock and roll, and also added elements of jazz to their sound.-Career:...
. Lunny also kept busy producing albums by other bands.
The original 4-piece line up played their last show together on the 24 of August 1982, at the National Stadium in Dublin. Nevertheless, with Whelan and Casey still on board, the band recorded one final album in the fall of 1982, “Words And Music”. The album also included contributions from fiddler James Kelly and Moving Hearts
Moving Hearts
Moving Hearts is an Irish folk-rock band formed in 1981. They followed in the footsteps of Horslips in combining Irish traditional music with rock and roll, and also added elements of jazz to their sound.-Career:...
bass guitarist Eoghan O’Neill.
The divided attention of two bands proved too much, and in 1983, Dónal Lunny and Christy Moore left to concentrate on Moving Hearts
Moving Hearts
Moving Hearts is an Irish folk-rock band formed in 1981. They followed in the footsteps of Horslips in combining Irish traditional music with rock and roll, and also added elements of jazz to their sound.-Career:...
. Irvine, O’Flynn and Whelan decided to continue the band, recruiting John Kelly, Arty McGlynn
Arty McGlynn
Arty McGlynn is an Irish guitarist born in Omagh, County Tyrone. In addition to his solo work, he has collaborated with different notable groups such as Patrick Street, Planxty, Four Men and a Dog, De Dannan and the Van Morrison Band. He played guitar on the critically acclaimed 1989 Van Morrison...
of County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
on guitar, and Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
’s Dolores Keane
Dolores Keane
Dolores Keane is an Irish folk singer and occasional actress. She was a founding member of the successful group De Dannan, and has since embarked on a very successful solo career, establishing herself as one of the most loved interpreters of Irish song.-Background:Keane was born in a small village...
on vocals and a plethora of traditional instruments. Irvine would later dub this line up “Planxty-Too-Far”, as the line up and musical focus (now more dominated by Whelan) was too far removed from what Planxty was. A tour of Ireland in spring of 1983 would be the end of the group, with planned fall shows never materializing.
Twenty years later, Paddy Dougherty, owner of the Royal Spa Hotel in Lisdoonvarna and co-founder of the Lisdoonvarna Festival, encouraged the group to reunite. He arranged for their use of the dining room for rehearsals which led to a one-off show in front of 200 people on the 11th of October, 2003. Pleased with the results and the experience of playing together again, the original Planxty would stay together for almost two more years, which led to additional shows in Dublin, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
in 2004, and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in January 2005, and the release of "Live 2004" on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and CD. The band remained a four piece, with Christy handling occasional keyboards.
Influences
A formative influence on Planxty and in particular on Christy Moore was the singing of Irish TravellerIrish Traveller
Irish Travellers are a traditionally nomadic people of ethnic Irish origin, who maintain a separate language and set of traditions. They live predominantly in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.-Etymology:...
John "Jacko" Reilly
John Reilly (singer)
John Reilly, was a traditional Irish singer and source of songs most of which he had learned from his parents.He was a settled Irish Traveller who lived in Boyle, Co Roscommon, and is thought have hailed from Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim...
who hailed from Boyle
Boyle, County Roscommon
Boyle is a town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located at the foot of the Curlew Mountains near Lough Key in the north of the county. Carrowkeel Megalithic Cemetery, the Drumanone Dolmen and the popular fishing lakes of Lough Arrow and Lough Gara are also close by...
, Co. Roscommon. It was from Reilly that Moore learned "Raggle Taggle Gypsy
The Gypsy Laddie
"The Gypsy Laddie" , also known as "Black Jack Davy" and "The Raggle Taggle Gypsies" among many other titles, is a Border ballad , possibly written about 1720 on the Scottish side of the border...
", which was recorded for the first Planxty album, in addition to "The Well Below the Valley
The Maid and the Palmer
"The Maid and the Palmer" or "The Well Below The Valley" is Child ballad 21 and a murder ballad. Because of its dark and sinister lyrics , the song was often avoided by folk singers. It is claimed that Tom Munnelly was largely responsible for preserving the song...
," which appeared on The Well Below the Valley. Christy later dipped into Reilly's songbook again for an updated version of the lengthy ballad "Lord Baker," which was featured on Planxty's 1983 album "Words & Music". ("Baker" appears to be a mondegreen
Mondegreen
A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song...
for the "Beichan" of earlier versions.) Jacko Reilly died in 1969 at the age of 44, shortly after being found beneath his coats in the top room of his dwelling in Boyle by Tom Munnelly
Tom Munnelly
-Early years:Tom Munnelly was born in Rathmines in Dublin, and went to Clogher Road technical college. He took up factory work at the age of 15. At a scout camp he became intetersted in folk songs. To enlarge his own repertoire he acquired a tape recorder. In 1965 Munnelly met an Irish Traveller...
, who had originally collected his songs for archiving.
The music of Turlough O'Carolan
Turlough O'Carolan
Turlough Carolan, also known as Turlough O'Carolan, was a blind, early Irish harper, composer and singer whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. He was the last great Irish harper-composer and is considered by many to be Ireland's national composer...
appeared on a number of Planxty albums (including the B-side of their very first single), often played by Liam O'Flynn
Liam O'Flynn
Liam O'Flynn is a master uilleann piper and prominent Irish folk musician. In addition to an impressive solo career and his work with the Irish traditional group Planxty, O'Flynn has recorded with many prominent international musical artists, including Mark Knopfler, the Everly Brothers, Enya,...
on the pipes. Much of this music first came to the attention of the band through the work of seminal Irish composer Seán Ó Riada
Seán Ó Riada
Seán Ó Riada , was a composer and perhaps the single most influential figure in the revival of Irish traditional music during the 1960s...
and his group Ceoltóirí Chualann
Ceoltóirí Chualann
Ceoltóirí Chualann was an Irish traditional band, led by Seán Ó Riada, which included many of the founding members of The Chieftains. Ceoltóirí is the Irish word for musicians, and Cualann is the name of an area just outside Dublin where Ó Riada lived...
.
Studio albums
- 1973: PlanxtyPlanxty (album)Planxty is the first album by the Irish folk group Planxty, released in 1973. Because of its dark cover, it is sometimes referred to as "the Black Album."...
- 1973: The Well Below the ValleyThe Well Below the Valley (album)The Well Below the Valley is the second album by the Irish folk group Planxty. It was released in 1973 and takes its title from the sixth song on the album, "The Well Below the Valley".-Track listing:#"Cúnla"#"Pat Reiley"...
- 1974: Cold Blow and the Rainy NightCold Blow and the Rainy Night (album)Cold Blow and the Rainy Night is the third album by the Irish folk group Planxty. The record was released in 1974 and takes its title from the third song on the album, Cold Blow and the Rainy Night.-Track listing:#"Johnny Cope"...
- 1979: After the BreakAfter the BreakAfter The Break is a studio album by the Irish folk music band Planxty released in 1979. Now available to download from most major online retailers as well as on CD.- Track listing:#"The Good Ship Kangaroo"...
- 1980: The Woman I Loved So WellThe Woman I Loved So WellThe Woman I Loved So Well is a studio album by Planxty released in 1980. Now available to download from most major online retailers as well as on CD.- Track listing:# "True Love Knows No Season"# "Out On The Ocean / Tiocfaidh Tu Abhaile Liom"...
- 1983: Words & Music
Live albums
- 1987: The Best of Planxty Live – a two-cassette live album compiled from shows at Olympia Theatre in Dublin, 18–23 August 1980. Unauthorized release by their former manager Kevin Flynn (PLANX MC01).
- 2004: Live 2004
Compilations
- 1976: The Planxty Collection
- 1984: Planxty Arís – a compilation of Planxty works and solo performances by former members of Planxty.
Singles
- 1972: Three Drunken Maidens / Sí Beag, Sí Mór – 7" single (Ruby 152)
- 1972: The Cliffs of Dooneen / Yarmouth Town – 7" single (Polydor 2078-023)
- 1981: Timedance / Nancy Spain – 12" single (WEA IR 28207); 7" single (WEA IR 18711)
- 1981: Timedance / DJ Version – 7" single (WEA IR 18711)
- 1983: I Pity the Poor Immigrant / The Irish Marche – 7" single (WEA PLAN01)