Dónal Lunny

Dónal Lunny (born 10 March 1947) 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. In 2025 he was the recipient of the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards Lifetime Achievement Award.

Early life Lunny was born on 10 March 1947 in Tullamore. His father Frank was from Enniskillen in County Fermanagh and his mother, Mary Rogers, came from Ranafast in The Rosses in County Donegal; they raised four boys and five girls. The family moved to Newbridge in County Kildare when Dónal was five years old.

He attended secondary school at Newbridge College and in 1963 joined the Patrician Brothers' school for the Intermediate Certificate year.

Moving Hearts After the Bothy Band disbanded, Lunny became a session musician on various projects, including Davey and Morris, the first album to feature Shaun Davey. In 1981, Lunny reunited with Moore to form Moving Hearts, along with a young uilleann piper, Davy Spillane. Following the example of the group Horslips, Moving Hearts combined Irish traditional music with rock and roll, and also added elements of jazz to their sound. The group disbanded in 1985. In February 2007, Moving Hearts reunited for a concert in Dublin. In 2008 and 2009, the group performed again in several concerts in Ireland and the United States.

LAPD On 20 January 2012, Lunny appeared on stage with LAPD, the latest grouping of players from Planxty; the moniker 'LAPD' is made up from the first name initials of Liam O'Flynn, Andy Irvine, Paddy Glackin and Dónal Lunny. After a series of occasional concerts, LAPD disbanded, their last gig taking place on Saturday 26 October 2013.

Usher's Island On 27 January 2015, Lunny's latest musical association performed at Celtic Connections 2015 in Glasgow. Called Usher's Island (a reference to the Dublin quay where James Joyce's story "The Dead" is set), it morphed from LAPD and comprises Lunny, Irvine and Glackin, plus Michael McGoldrick (uilleann pipes, flute and whistle) and John Doyle (guitar).

Trio with Zoë Conway & Máirtín O'Connor Lunny continues to contribute to contemporary music in Ireland: as well as touring with many musicians (including Andy Irvine, Paddy Glackin, Michael McGoldrick, Paul Brady and Kevin Burke). In September 2016 he formed a trio with Zoë Conway and Máirtín O'Connor.

Production career

When Moving Hearts broke up in 1985, Lunny diversified and became a producer. He had already produced a 45 rpm single for Skid Row (featuring 17-year-old Gary Moore) and, in 1975, the album A Silk Purse for electric folk band Spud, managed by Paul McGuinness.

He was closely involved in the establishment of a new Irish record label, Mulligan Records (acquired in 2008 by Compass Records), and produced and played on many of its early releases, the first of which was from Pumpkinhead. He played on several Christy Moore albums and was a producer and session musician on Kate Bush albums. He played bouzouki and bodhrán on Shaun Davey's Granuaile, and fiddle on Midnight Well's Saw you Running. He composed the soundtracks for the Turkish film, Teardrops, and the Irish film Eat the Peach. He also played on the soundtracks of the film This Is My Father and the TV programme The River of Sound. In 1989 he contributed synthesizer on Mary Black's breakthrough album No Frontiers.

He was the producer and music director of the soundtrack of Bringing It All Back Home, a BBC television documentary series charting the influence of Irish music throughout the world. He played on or produced albums for Paul Brady, Elvis Costello, Indigo Girls, Sinéad O'Connor, Clannad, Maurice Lennon, Baaba Maal, and Five Guys Named Moe. He played on compilation albums The Gathering (1981) and Common Ground (1996). In 1994 he produced Irish Australian singer/songwriter Maireid Sullivan's first recording, Dancer

He pushed new boundaries with his band Coolfin (1998) which included the work of uilleann piper John McSherry. He appeared at the 2000 Cambridge Folk Festival, and the album that commemorated it. In 2001 Lunny collaborated with Frank Harte on the album My Name is Napoleon Bonaparte. He produced the album Human Child (2007) by Faeroese Eivør Pálsdóttir, which was published in two versions, one English and one Faeroese.

As an arranger, he has worked for The Waterboys, Fairground Attraction and Eddi Reader. Journey (2000) is a retrospective album. During 2003–2005, Lunny was part of the reunited Planxty concert tour.

He also produced Jimmy MacCarthy's album entitled Hey-Ho Believe, which was released on 12 November 2010.

Influence Dónal Lunny can claim popularising the bouzouki in the Irish music sphere after being given an instrument by Andy Irvine,

Personal life Lunny is the brother of musician and producer Manus Lunny. His son Oisin Lunny was part of the hip-hop group Marxman and his daughter Cora Venus Lunny is a renowned violin player, composer, singer and actor. His granddaughter Phoebe Lunny is the lead vocalist and guitarist for punk rock group Lambrini Girls. He had a son, Shane, with singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor; Shane was found dead on 7 January 2022, aged 17.

Discography

Solo albums Dónal Lunny (1987), Gael-Linn, CEFCD133 Coolfin (1998) Journey: The Best of Dónal Lunny (2001)

With Christy Moore Prosperous (1972) Christy Moore (1976) Whatever Tickles Your Fancy (1976) Live in Dublin (1978) AntiNuclear (1979), on "People Will Die" and "Trip to Carnsore" H-Block (1980) Christy Moore and Friends (1981) The Time Has Come (1983) Ride On (1984) The Spirit of Freedom (1985) Ordinary Man (1985) Unfinished Revolution (1987) Voyage (1989)

With Planxty Planxty (album) (1973) The Well Below the Valley (1973) Cold Blow and the Rainy Night (1974) After The Break (1979, 1992) The Woman I Loved So Well (1980, 1992) "Timedance" (1981), 12-inch single Words & Music (1983) Arís! (1984) Live 2004 CD/DVD (2004) Between the Jigs and the Reels: A Retrospective CD/DVD (2016)

With Andy Irvine and Paul Brady Andy Irvine/Paul Brady (1976) Welcome Here Kind Stranger (1978) Andy Irvine/70th Birthday Concert at Vicar St 2012 (2014)

With Mozaik Live from the Powerhouse (2004) Changing Trains (2007) The Long And The Short Of It (2019)

With Usher's Island Usher's Island (2017)

With the Bothy Band 1975 (1975) Old Hag You Have Killed Me (1976) Out of the Wind, Into the Sun (1977, 1985) Afterhours (Live in Paris) (1978, 1984) Live in Concert (1994)

With Moving Hearts Moving Hearts (1982) Dark End of the Street (1982) Live Hearts (1984) The Storm (1985) Live in Dublin (2008)

With other artists Celtic Folkweave by Mick Hanly and Mícheál Ó Domhnaill (1974) Matt Molloy with Donal Lunny by Matt Molloy (1976) (Green Linnet, GLCD3008) Patrick Street by Patrick Street (1986) (Green Linnet, GLCD1071) Altan by Frankie Kennedy and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (1987) (Green Linnet, GLCD 1078) The Rough Guide to Irish Music (1996) Idir an Dá Sholas by Maighread & Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill (1999) Marginal Moon by Soul Flower Union (1999) (Japanese release) Hey-Ho Believe by Jimmy MacCarthy

Guest appearances Midnight Well by Midnight Well (1976), Mulligan "Night of the Swallow" by Kate Bush (1981) No Frontiers by Mary Black (1989), Dara Golden Heart by Mark Knopfler (1996) Sean-Nós Nua by Sinéad O'Connor (2002), Hummingbird Records Tráthnona Beag Areir by Albert Fry (2008), Gael Linn Imeall by Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (2008), Moon Ceol Cheann Dubhrann by various artists (2009)

Filmography Sult le Dónal Lunny (two seasons: 1996 and 1997), Hummingbird Productions for Teilifís na Gaeilge Planxty Live 2004 (2004), DVD The Transatlantic Sessions Series 3 (2007), DVD Moving Hearts Live in Dublin (2008), DVD Andy Irvine 70th Birthday Concert at Vicar St 2012 (2014), DVD Mozaik on Tour 2014 (2014), YouTube video