Celtic Music: Planxty

Planxty recorded seven albums between 1973 and 1983 before going their separate ways. They split up after their third album, after which The Planxty Collection was released. They came back together fairly quickly, although the lineup changed a bit. In 1973 Johnny Moynihan replaced Donal Lunny, and in 1974, Paul Brady replaced Christy Moore.

Moore, Lunny, Irvine and O'Flynn regrouped in 1979, and changes in the lineup included the addition of Matt Molloy from the Bothy Band who later worked with The Chieftains. In 1983, the band members split to pursue separate projects.

Fans of Irish music will no doubt recognize all of the original Planxty members and be aware of their influence on the Irish traditional music scene in the '70s and early '80s. Johnny Moynihan was the one who introduced the bouzouki to Irish music when he was with Sweeney's Men. The instrument was further popularized by both Lunny and Irvine while they were with Planxty (see the video below, where two bouzoukis are used). Irvine went on to influence Bill Whelan who later wrote "Riverdance," first as an eight-minute piece and later as the hugely successful stage show that introduced many people to Irish music and dance.

The group came back together for several concerts in Lisdoonvarna, Dublin and County Clare in 2004. A CD and DVD was released as a result of these concerts. (The DVD is available on amazon.co.uk in Region 2 format, which is not playable on most players sold in the US and Canada.)