Dónal Lunny

As a founding member of Planxty, the Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Coolfin, Mozaik, LAPD, and Usher's Island, Dónal Lunny was a driving force in the revival of Irish traditional music for more than five decades. Born in Tullamore, County Offaly, and raised in Newbridge, County Kildare, he emerged in the 1960s with Emmet Spiceland before becoming a founding member of Planxty, the Bothy Band, and Moving Hearts, whose virtuoso musicianship and progressive spirit helped carry Irish traditional music into a new era. A master of the bouzouki and guitar, and a deft bodhrán player, Lunny also founded Mulligan Records and became an influential producer, arranger, and collaborator, working with artists including Sinéad O'Connor, U2, Van Morrison, Kate Bush, and Elvis Costello. In 2025, he received the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. He died on October 26, 2026, in Dublin, at age 79. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi