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Irish musician and multi-instrumentalist Dónal Lunny has died aged 79, the BBC reported.
A founding member of three influential bands — Planxty, The Bothy Band and Moving Hearts — Lunny was widely credited with helping revive and expand Irish traditional music. He also composed and wrote scores for television dramas, documentaries and films.
In recent years, he worked with contemporary artists including Kate Bush, Rod Stewart, Elvis Costello and Clannad. U2 singer Bono once described him as Ireland’s “answer to Quincy Jones”.
Born in Tullamore, County Offaly, in 1947, Lunny moved to Newbridge, County Kildare, when he was five. He said music had been an enjoyable part of his life since childhood.
Founding member of Planxty and The Bothy Band
Lunny first met Christy Moore in 1959, according to Irish broadcaster RTÉ. The school friends recognised a musical connection that would last for decades.
With Moore, Liam O’Flynn and Andy Irvine, Lunny founded Planxty and helped reshape traditional Irish music. The band recorded three albums between 1971 and 1973, with Lunny playing bouzouki, guitar, keyboards and bodhrán.
In 1973, he established the label Mulligan Records and went on to produce 17 albums. The label released music by artists including Boomtown Rats, The Radiators and Agnes Bernelle.
Lunny joined The Bothy Band in 1975, alongside Matt Molloy, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, Kevin Burke, Paddy Glackin and Paddy Keenan.
In 1992, he produced and served as musical director for the television series “Bringing It All Back Home”, beginning a long creative partnership with producer Philip King. He also composed film scores, including for “This Is My Father”, starring Aidan Quinn and James Caan.
He received a lifetime achievement award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2018. Last year, he was given a lifetime achievement award at the RTÉ Radio 1 Irish Folk Awards.
One of his final public appearances was in August, when he performed at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, the All-Ireland Fleadh, in Belfast.
Musicians and archive pay tribute
Musician and composer Neil Martin, who collaborated with Lunny throughout his career, called the loss “huge” and described him as an “extraordinary figure”.
“Since the mid-60s nearly anything that was of significant movement within the traditional music world, Dónal was at the epicentral to it,” Martin told the BBC’s “Evening Extra” programme.
Recalling a meeting over a drink with Lunny 18 months ago, Martin said he had thought, “Lunny’s back again”. Although Lunny had been unwell for some time, the news of his death came as “a bit of a shock”, he said. Martin added that he was “delighted” his last memory of Lunny was a “happy one”.
“All the musicians in Ireland will have nodded to him at some stage,” Martin said.
The Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) said Lunny’s influence on Irish music was “immense” and that he had “opened new harmonic and rhythmic possibilities”. It said his imagination had shaped the sound of Irish music and described his career as built on “creativity, friendship and collaboration”.
“Dónal leaves behind an extraordinary body of work. His artistry, generosity and influence are woven deeply into the living tradition and into the lives of so many who knew him, were inspired by him, or had the privilege of playing and working alongside him,” ITMA said.
Lunny is survived by his children Oisin, Cora Venus and Sora Chan, and his partner, Una O’Boyle. His brother Manus is also a musician and producer.
Lunny had a brief relationship with his musical collaborator Sinéad O’Connor in the early 2000s. They had a son, Shane, in 2004. Shane died in 2022 aged 17, and O’Connor died in 2023.
