Andy Irvine

Andrew Kennedy Irvine (born 14 June 1942) 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.

He has been influential in folk music for over six decades, during which he recorded a large repertoire of songs and tunes he assembled from books, old recordings and rooted in the Irish, English, Scottish, Eastern European, Australian and American old-time and folk traditions.

As a child actor, Irvine honed his performing talent from an early age and learned the classical guitar. He switched to folk music after discovering Woody Guthrie, also adopting the latter's other instruments: harmonica and mandolin. While extending Guthrie's guitar picking technique to the mandolin, he further developed his playing of this instrument—and, later, of the mandola and the bouzouki—into a decorative, harmonic style, and embraced the modes and rhythms of Bulgarian folk music.

Along with Johnny Moynihan and Dónal Lunny, Irvine is one of the pioneers who adapted the Greek bouzouki—with a new tuning—into the Irish bouzouki. He contributed to advancing the design of his instruments in co-operation with English luthier Stefan Sobell, and he sometimes plays a hurdy-gurdy made for him in 1972 by Peter Abnett, another English luthier.

Although touring mainly as a soloist, Irvine has also enjoyed great success in pursuing collaborations through many projects that have influenced contemporary folk music. He continues to tour and has performed extensively in Ireland, Great Britain, Europe, North and South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. In October 2018, he received the first Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed at RTÉ Radio 1's inaugural Folk Music Awards.

Early life and acting career Andy Irvine was born in St John's Wood, northwest London on 14 June 1942. His mother, Felicia Madge Lessels, was from Wallasey, Merseyside,

This lasting fascination with Bulgarian folk music would inform several of his later projects—first with Planxty, then in the recording of his first solo album (1980) and of the album East Wind (1992), and also with the creation of two multicultural, similarly named bands: Mosaic (1984–85) and Mozaik (2002–present day). In turn, Irvine's integration of characteristic elements of Bulgarian folk music into his playing, such as asymmetric rhythms, would also have a profound influence on the sound of contemporary Irish music, including—via Bill Whelan—the original Riverdance score.

He also went to Thessaloniki, a Greek-Macedonian town near the Bulgarian border, to buy a bouzouki:

The singer from Muzsikás, Márta Sebestyén, would soon thereafter be joining Irvine's next multicultural folk group: Mosaic. who would go on to participate in several of Irvine's projects, the first being the album East Wind (1992), which featured Sebestyén. Irvine would later write a song about this period of his life in Budapest: "The Wind Blows Over The Danube", released on the album Changing Trains.

Their first public gig was in Budapest on 12 July 1985, followed by a further two gigs in Hungary and an appearance at the Dranouter festival in Belgium in early August, prior to their English tour.

Their set included: Stan Rogers's "Northwest Passage", an unspecified Macedonian dance tune ("one of Andy's 90 mph specials" Irvine stated that he would have liked to try the experiment again by concentrating on the Irish and East European sound without bringing in the blues influence.

Patrick Street Also in 1985, Irvine joined up with fiddler Kevin Burke and guitarist Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (who had been gigging together around America for some time) and toured as a trio in the USA; when Ó Domhnaill wasn't available for some of the dates, guitarist/vocalist Gerry O'Beirne stepped in. "This tour was such fun and so successful that we decided to expand the outfit into a four-piece by adding Jackie Daly", Irvine wrote.

Initially billed on a 1986 American tour as "The Legends of Irish Music", they soon chose to call themselves Patrick Street. from McGlynn to Ged Foley – after the band recorded their fourth album, All in Good Time, released in 1993; back to McGlynn – when they resumed touring after the completion of their ninth album, On the Fly, released in 2007.

After Jackie Daly retired from Patrick Street, John Carty joined on fiddle, flute and tenor banjo in time to record On The Fly.

Originally agreed to as a part-time band, they have nevertheless recorded eight studio albums together, plus one live album (Live from Patrick Street) and two compilations (The Best of Patrick Street and Compendium: The Best of Patrick Street).

On their first album, Patrick Street, released in 1986, Irvine sings four songs: "Patrick Street", "The Holy Ground", "The Dream/Indiana", and "The Man with the Cap". again features four songs sung by Irvine: "Tom Joad"; "Facing the Chair"; "Braes of Moneymore", to which Irvine changed the tune and added a verse; and "William Taylor"

Their third album, Irish Times, released in 1990, includes three songs by Irvine: "Brackagh Hill"; "Forgotten Hero", his composition about Michael Davitt; and "The Humours of the King of Ballyhooley".

Playing style – The Irish Bouzouki In 1989, Irvine's style of playing the bouzouki was summarised thus in The Irish Bouzouki, an instructional guide:

border=none|fontsize=90%|quote= Andy plays the bouzouki in a very melodic style, using a lot of sustain. He creates this by hitting the strings individually, allowing them to ring rather than using heavy chording. His style involves using intricate counter-melody which greatly fills out the sound, especially when used in a duet or group situation using two bouzoukis or bouzouki and mandolin. Good examples of this can be found on Planxty albums or Andy's solo album, Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams. Andy is constantly experimenting, trying to find new sounds. He searches for new chords or chord formations, plays a guitar-shaped bouzouki and uses a wound or covered second (A) string which results in a much mellower, sweeter tone. salign=right|source=—Niall Ó Callanain & Tommy Walsh, The Irish Bouzouki. produced by Bill Whelan. The line-up included Whelan (keyboards), Rens van der Zalm (fiddle, mandolin, guitar), Carl Geraghty (soprano saxophone), Arty McGlynn (guitar), Davy Spillane (whistle) and Fionnuala Sherry (fiddle). The album was released on Green Linnet Records, later in 1991. So, shortly thereafter, he was rehearsing again with Davy Spillane (uilleann pipes and low whistle) to record East Wind, a collection of Bulgarian and Macedonian tunes played Irish-style and produced by Whelan, who also contributed keyboards and piano.

The project influenced Riverdance:

border=none|fontsize=90%|quote= It is significant, also, that Bill Whelan had been working as a producer of [an] album about two years before Riverdance. It was called East Wind and that entire album was East European music. Its making can be ascribed to combining the talents of Davy Spillane and Andy Irvine, and its geographic origins can be ascribed to Irvine who introduced the East European tempo and style onto the Irish traditional scene. salign=right|source=—Barra O'Cinnéide, Riverdance: The Phenomenon.

For a while, Irvine and Parov were joined by Rens van der Zalm and toured together in Europe as the 'East Wind Trio',

Patrick Street – All in Good Time Irvine contributed six pieces to Patrick Street's fourth album, All in Good Time, released in 1993: "A Prince Among Men (Only a Miner)"; Lintheads, a trilogy comprising: "The Pride of the Springfield Road", "Lawrence Common", and "Goodbye, Monday Blues"; "Carrowclare";

Patrick Street – Cornerboys Patrick Street's fifth album, Cornerboys, was released in 1996 and includes seven pieces provided by Irvine: "Sweet Lisbweemore"; "Morlough Shore"; Pity the Poor Hare (a suite comprising: "On Yonder Hill", "Merrily Tripping O'er The Plain", "The Kilgrain Hare", is the closest the listener could get to the experience of attending one of his gigs. It was the first release (product number "AK-1") on his own label, Andy Irvine. The album mixes some of Irvine's compositions with traditional songs and Bulgarian tunes. As he explains in the sleeve notes:

Other instruments were added (on four of the eleven tracks) by Rens van der Zalm (fiddle and mandolin), Stephen Cooney (didgeridoo, Kpanlogo drum), Declan Masterson (low whistle) and Irvine himself, who played a second mandolin on two of the tracks. to which Irvine contributed four songs: "Her Mantle So Green", was Patrick Street's seventh album, recorded during a tour of Ireland and Britain in November 1998. It features five of Irvine's songs: "Braes of Moneymore", Eddie Butcher's "My Son in Amerikay", "Wild Rover No More", "Stewball and the Monaghan Grey Mare", and "The Holy Ground". recorded between July and December 1999 and co-produced with Steve Cooney.

Irvine was joined by Rens van der Zalm (guitar, fiddle, mandolin, Bulgarian tambura and bass guitar), Lindsey Horner (double bass), Máire Breatnach (viola), Cormac Breatnach (low whistle), Steve Cooney (Spanish guitar, percussion and kalimba), Declan Masterson (uilleann pipes and low whistle), Liam O'Flynn (uilleann pipes and tin whistle), Nikola Parov (gadulka), Brendan Power (harmonica), plus Lynn Kavanagh, Mandy Murphy and Phil Callery (backing vocals). —not to be confused with his earlier, similarly named group Mosaic—featuring Irvine, Dónal Lunny, Bruce Molsky, Nikola Parov and Rens van der Zalm.

The Australian tour that followed culminated in two gigs recorded at the Brisbane Powerhouse on 30/31 March and released on the album Live from the Powerhouse in 2004, under license to Compass Records. Irvine contributed four pieces: "Barna Hill", "Down in Matewan", "Lost Indian", and "Green Grows the Laurel". A recording of this version of "As I Roved Out" where Irvine appeared as a guest and played it solo on his "Stefan Sobell mandola, tuned CGDG (Capo 0)".

Mozaik – Changing Trains In January and April 2005, Mozaik rehearsed new material for Changing Trains, their first studio album recorded in Budapest during November of the same year.

Patrick Street – On the Fly Patrick Street's ninth album, On the Fly, was released in 2007. debut album, Dear Irish Boy, released in 2009. Personnel included: Marianne Green (vocals), Irvine (bouzouki, mandolin, mandola, bass-bouzouki, harmonica), Colum Sands (double bass, concertina) and Gerry O'Conner (violin).

The tracks are: "The Banks of the Bann" (trad.), "You Make Me Fly" (M. Green), "Tá Mé 'Mo Shuí" (trad.), "The Doffin Mistress" (trad.), "Bonny Portmore" (trad.), "Ar A Ghabháil Go Baile Átha Cliath Damh" (trad.), "Cian's Song" (M. O'Hare), "The Dear Irish Boy" (trad.), "The Wife's Lamentation" (M. Green), "The Road To Dundee" (trad.), "The Wreck of the Newcastle Fishermen" (trad.) and "Carrickmannon Lake" (trad.). recorded in Dublin, Norway, Australia, Hungary and Brittany between February 2009 and April 2010 and produced by Dónal Lunny, who also plays on all but one of the tracks.

They were joined by Liam O'Flynn (uilleann pipes, tin whistle), Nikola Parov (kaval, nyckelharpa), Máirtín O'Connor (accordion), Bruce Molsky (fiddle), Rens van der Zalm (fiddle), Rick Epping (harmonica), Paul Moore (double bass), Graham Henderson (keyboards), Liam Bradley (percussion), Jacky Molard (violas, violins and string arrangement), Annbjørg Lien (hardanger fiddles), Lillebjørn Nilsen (guitar), plus Kate Burke and Ruth Hazleton (backing vocals).

They played a set combining tunes and songs from the repertoires of: Planxty: "Jenny's Wedding/The Virginia/Garrett Barry's", "Paddy Canny's" ("The Starting Gate"), "The Jolly Beggar/The Wise Maid", "Arthur MacBride", "As I Roved Out (Andy)", "The Blacksmith" and "West Coast of Clare"; Irvine & Lunny: "My Heart's tonight in Ireland/West Clare Reel", "Braes of Moneymore", "Suleiman's Kopanitsa", "The Dream/Indiana", "O'Donoghue's" and "Siún Ni Dhuibhir"; O'Flynn & Glackin: "Kitty's Rambles/Humours of Ennistymon", "The Green Island/Bantry Hornpipe", "Young Tom Ennis/Nora Crean", "A Rainy Day/The Shaskeen", "Two Flings", "Speed the Plough/Colonel Fraser" and "The Gold Ring".

LAPD performed only occasionally, to rave reviews,

70th Birthday Concert at Vicar St 2012 On 16 and 17 June 2012, Irvine's 70th birthday was celebrated at Dublin's Vicar Street venue in a pair of concerts. which were recorded and released on the CD Andy Irvine/70th Birthday Concert at Vicar St 2012 and its associated DVD.

Playing Woody Guthrie again A week later, Irvine was invited to participate with Billy Bragg in the Woody 100 Legacy Show scheduled at Dublin's Vicar Street on Monday, 17 September 2012, to celebrate Woody Guthrie's Centenary.

In his web journal, Irvine wrote at the time: "I recently located my old Gibson L0 guitar. It was in the shed where it has been languishing for some years. I used to be able to do a pretty good impression of Woody's 'Church lick' guitar playing. Hope I can get it all back! [...] I'd better get practising!..."

Parachilna with Rens van der Zalm On 13 November 2013, Irvine released his first duo album with Rens van der Zalm: Parachilna, an album of Irish and Australian songs recorded live in July 2012 while camping in Parachilna, South Australia and New South Wales.

It was co-produced by Irvine (vocals, bouzouki, mandola and harmonica) and van der Zalm (backing vocals, guitar, mandolin, fiddle and viola), and recorded by Cian Burke in disused buildings using top-quality microphones, a laptop and Pro Tools.

Quilty In 2023, Irvine was invited to join the Swedish folk band Quilty for their 30th anniversary tour. He has continued to perform with the band, playing a mix of Irish and Swedish folk music.

Selected discography

Solo Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams (1980) Rude Awakening (1991) Rain on the Roof (1996) Way Out Yonder (2000) Abocurragh (2010) Old Dog Long Road – Vol.1 (1961–2012) (2019) – 2 discs Old Dog Long Road – Vol.2 (1961–2015) (2020) – 2 discs Devoted: Songs of Woody Guthrie (2026) With Christy Moore Prosperous (1971) Christy Moore (1976) The Iron Behind the Velvet (1978) Ordinary Man (1985) With Paul Brady Andy Irvine/Paul Brady (1976) Welcome Here Kind Stranger (1978) The Missing Liberty Tapes (2002) With Maddy Prior & June Tabor Silly Sisters (1976) With Mick Hanly As I Went Over Blackwater (1980) With various artists The Gathering (1981) With Dick Gaughan Parallel Lines (1982) With Peter Ratzenbeck Over the Years (1990) Outremer (1995) Travelogue (1997) Resonances (2007) With Davy Spillane East Wind (1992) With Marianne Green Dear Irish Boy (2009) With Rens van der Zalm Parachilna (2013) With Luke Plumb Precious Heroes (2017)

With Sweeney's Men Sweeney's Men (1968) With Planxty Planxty (1973) The Well Below the Valley (1973) Cold Blow and the Rainy Night (1974) After The Break (1979) High Kings of Tara (1980) – Planxty & various artists The Woman I Loved So Well (1980) Live at Olympia Theatre, Dublin (1980) – Cassette; withdrawn shortly after release Words & Music (1983) Arís! (1984) Live 2004 (2004) – Separate CD and DVD Between the Jigs and the Reels: A Retrospective (2016) – CD and DVD combo One Night in Bremen (2018) With Patrick Street Patrick Street (1986) No. 2 Patrick Street (1988) Irish Times (1990) All in Good Time (1993) The Best of Patrick Street (1995) Cornerboys (1996) Made in Cork (1997) Live from Patrick Street (1999) Compendium: The Best of Patrick Street (2000) Street Life (2002) On the Fly (2007) With Mozaik Live from the Powerhouse (2004) Changing Trains (2007) The Long And The Short Of It (2019) With Sweeney's Men, Mozaik, Paul Brady, LAPD Andy Irvine/70th Birthday Concert at Vicar St 2012 (2014) – Separate CD and DVD With Usher's Island Usher's Island (2017) With Lillebjørn Nilsen Live In Telemark (2021)

Filmography Planxty Live 2004 (2004), DVD Come West Along The Road/Irish Traditional Music Treasures From RTÉ Archives 1960s – 1980s (2005), DVD Come West Along The Road 2/Irish Traditional Music Treasures From RTÉ Archives 1960s – 1980s (2007), DVD From Clare To Here (2008), DVD Come West Along The Road 3/Irish Traditional Music Treasures From RTÉ Archives 1960s – 1980s (2010), DVD Come West Along The Road/The Collection (2014), DVD (Volumes 1–4 Boxset) Ar Stáitse – RTÉ TV Series, DVD The Transatlantic Sessions Series 6 (2014), DVD Andy Irvine 70th Birthday Concert at Vicar St 2012 (2014), DVD Mozaik on Tour 2014 (2014), YouTube video clip Planxty Between the Jigs and the Reels: A Retrospective (2016), DVD

Selected early acting performances The following table shows a selection of acting roles and performances by Andrew Irvine, between 1950 and 1964.

1950 Film Released 1 Mar 1951 Jimmy

1958 TV "Ninian McHarg"11 Mar 1958 Archie Almond