Band members
Current members
| Former members
Touring members
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Timeline
1975 to 1979
The Bothy Band | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Irish traditional music |
| Years active | 1975–1979, 2007, 2023 - present |
| Labels | Gael Linn |
| Members | Paddy Glackin Matt Molloy Paddy Keenan Dónal Lunny Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill Kevin Burke Seán Óg Graham |
| Past members | Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (Died 2006) Tommy Peoples (Died 2018) Peter Browne |
The Bothy Band are an Irish traditional band, originally active during the mid 1970s. [1] They quickly gained a reputation as one of the most influential bands playing Irish traditional music. Their enthusiasm and musical virtuosity had a significant influence on the Irish traditional music movement that continued well after they disbanded in 1979. [2]
The Bothy Band was formed in 1975 by bouzouki player Dónal Lunny, after he left the group Planxty to form his own record company, Mulligan. [1] Lunny invited uilleann piper Paddy Keenan, flute and whistle player Matt Molloy, fiddler Paddy Glackin, and accordion player Tony MacMahon to get involved in an early project for the new label. This group of players was soon joined by a brother and sister who played in the Irish traditional group Skara Brae: Mícheál Ó Domhnaill on acoustic guitar and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill on clavinet and vocals. Originally called Seachtar (Irish for seven), the group was renamed by Mícheál Ó Domhnaill after Tony MacMahon left the group to work as a producer for BBC. The Bothy Band made its debut on 2 February 1975 at Trinity College, Dublin. [2]
In 1975 the Bothy Band released their eponymous first album on Mulligan Records (in Ireland; Green Linnet Records in US; Polydor Records in UK). Described on RTE as 'an incendiary mix of driving folk-rock rhythms' and 'a game-changer of an album', [3] it established their reputation as a significant musical force in Irish traditional music. In 1976, they released their second album, Old Hag You Have Killed Me, which was praised as 'a benchmark of the genre' of Irish music and expanded their following. [4] In 1977, they recorded what would be their last studio album, Out of the Wind – Into the Sun. In 1979, the Bothy Band released a live album, After Hours (Live in Paris). [1]
During their four years together, the Bothy Band featured a variety of fiddlers. Original fiddler Glackin was replaced by Donegal fiddler Tommy Peoples on the band's début album. Peoples in turn was replaced by Sligo-influenced fiddler Kevin Burke on the second release. [2] They played their final gig with this lineup at the 3rd Boys of Ballisodare Festival on 10 August 1979. [5] [6]
After the group disbanded in 1979, the members continued to play influential musical roles in the Irish traditional music movement. Lunny returned to Planxty along with Molloy, [1] and then later helped form the Celtic rock band Moving Hearts. He continued working as a record producer, and later joined Andy Irvine to form the group Mozaik, releasing two albums in 2004 and 2007. After recording two albums with Planxty, Molloy joined The Chieftains. After several solo projects with Ó Domhnaill, Burke founded Patrick Street with Irvine and Jackie Daly (formerly of De Dannan). Ó Domhnaill and Ní Dhomhnaill went on to form Relativity and Nightnoise. [2]
In 1994, previously unreleased concert recordings from the 1970s were released as BBC Radio One – The Bothy Band Live in Concert. The music had been recorded in two different locations on different dates – 15 July 1976, at the BBC's Paris Theatre in London, and 24 July 1978, at the National Theatre, Kilburn. [2] [7] The first nine tracks, from the Paris Theatre concert, feature Peter Browne on pipes as stand in for Paddy Keenan. [8]
Following the death of Mícheál Ó Domhnaill in July 2006, the surviving members of the Bothy Band came together at the tribute concert "Ómós- A Gig for Mícheál", held on 24 May 2007 at Vicar Street in Dublin. All proceeds from the concert went to the Irish Traditional Music Archive. [9]
The group reunited again in 2023, initially for a television documentary, which led to a full Irish tour in 2024. [10] the lineup included all surviving members, including both Paddy Glackin and Kevin Burke on fiddle, joined by guest musician Seán Óg Graham on guitar. [11]
Current members
| Former members
Touring members
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1975 to 1979
Planxty were an Irish folk music band formed in January 1972, consisting initially of Christy Moore, Andy Irvine, Dónal Lunny, and Liam O'Flynn. They transformed and popularized Irish folk music, touring and recording to great acclaim.
Andrew Kennedy Irvine is an Irish folk musician, singer-songwriter, and a founding member of Sweeney's Men, Planxty, Patrick Street, Mozaik, LAPD and Usher's Island. He also featured in duos, with Dónal Lunny, Paul Brady, Mick Hanly, Dick Gaughan, Rens van der Zalm, and Luke Plumb. Irvine plays the mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, harmonica, and hurdy-gurdy.
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 nineteen. Considered one of the most brilliant Irish musicians, his style that adapts piping techniques to the flute has influenced many contemporary Irish flute players.
Dónal Lunny is an Irish folk musician and producer. He plays guitar and bouzouki, as well as keyboards and bodhrán. As a founding member of popular bands Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Coolfin, Mozaik, LAPD, and Usher's Island, he has been at the forefront of the renaissance of Irish traditional music for over five decades.
Nightnoise was a music ensemble active from 1984 to 1997. Their original blend of Irish traditional music, Celtic music, jazz, and classical chamber music inspired a generation of Irish musicians. They released seven albums on the Windham Hill label.
Kevin Burke is an Irish master fiddler considered one of the finest living Irish fiddlers. For nearly five decades he has been at the forefront of Irish traditional music and Celtic music, performing and recording with the groups The Bothy Band, Patrick Street, and the Celtic Fiddle Festival. He is a 2002 recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Mícheál Ó Domhnaill was an Irish singer, guitarist, composer, and producer who was a major influence on Irish traditional music in the second half of the twentieth century. He is remembered for his innovative work with Skara Brae, the first group to record vocal harmonization in Irish language songs, and The Bothy Band, one of the most influential groups in Irish traditional music. His reputation was enhanced by a successful collaboration with master fiddler Kevin Burke, and his work with the Celtic groups Relativity and Nightnoise, which achieved significant commercial and critical acclaim.
Paddy Glackin is an Irish fiddler and founding member of the Bothy Band. He is considered one of Ireland's leading traditional fiddle players.
Noel Hill is an Irish concertina player from County Clare who has had great influence developing the modern playing style of the Irish concertina, as a performer and educator.
Welcome Here Kind Stranger is a 1978 album by Paul Brady. After leaving The Johnstons, Brady toured with Planxty until they disbanded in 1975, and recorded a duo album with Andy Irvine in 1976.
Skara Brae were an Irish traditional music group from Kells, County Meath with origins in Ranafast, County Donegal. The group consisted of three siblings, Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, and Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill, with Dáithí Sproule from Derry. Their debut and only album Skara Brae is considered a seminal album in the Irish music tradition.
Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill is an acclaimed Irish traditional singer, keyboard player, and composer. She is considered one of the most influential female vocalists in the history of Irish music. Throughout her career, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill has worked with renowned traditional Irish groups such as Skara Brae, The Bothy Band, and Nightnoise. In February 2024 it was announced that she was to be recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards.
Celtic Folkweave is a studio album by Mick Hanly and Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, released in 1974 by Polydor Records. Considered a seminal album in the traditional Irish music genre, the musicians involved in the recording would go on to found some of the most innovative and important groups to perform traditional Irish music.
James Keane is an Irish traditional musician and accordion player. The Italian Castagnari company issued and continues a line of signature instruments called keanebox in his honor.
Maighréad Ní Dhomhnaill is an Irish traditional singer from Kells, County Meath. She is known for her work with the short-lived, but very highly regarded Skara Brae and her collaborations with her sister Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, as well as other traditional musicians. She has recorded and performed with the West Ocean String Quartet (WOSQ).
T with the Maggies are an Irish traditional supergroup from County Donegal, Ireland. The group first performed together in 2007 at a tribute concert to folk singer and guitarist Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, older brother of Triona and Maighread, and released their debut album in October 2010.
Promenade is a studio album by Kevin Burke and Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, released in 1979 by Mulligan Records.
Portland is a studio album by Kevin Burke and Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, released in 1982 by Green Linnet Records. This is the second and final album by this duo who first played together with the popular Irish traditional group The Bothy Band.
High Kings of Tara is a compilation album from Tara Music, showcasing tracks previously released by some of its artists: Shaun Davey, Oisín, Jolyon Jackson, Paddy Glackin, Paddy Keenan, Stockton's Wing and Christy Moore.
Mick Hanly is an Irish singer and composer from Limerick. In the 1970s, he formed several folk music duos, first with Mícheál Ó Domhnaill, then with Andy Irvine and, more recently, with Dónal Lunny. From 1982 until 1985, he was a member of Moving Hearts. Hanly is known for composing "Past the Point of Rescue", which was first covered by Mary Black (1988) and also by American artist Hal Ketchum (1991).
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