The Bothy Band
Encyclopedia
The Bothy Band was an Irish traditional band active during the late 1970s. It quickly gained a reputation as one of the most influential bands playing Irish traditional music. Their enthusiasm and musical virtuosity had a significant influence on the Irish traditional music movement that continued well after they disbanded in 1979.
The Bothy Band was formed in 1975 by bouzouki player Dónal Lunny
, after he left the group Planxty
to form his own record company, Mulligan. Lunny invited uilleann piper Paddy Keenan
, flute and whistle player Matt Molloy
, fiddler Paddy Glackin
, and accordion player Tony MacMahon
to get involved in an early project for the new label. This group of players was soon joined by a brother and sister who played in the Irish traditional group Skara Brae
: Mícheál Ó Domhnaill
on acoustic guitar and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill
on clavinet and vocals. Originally called, Seachter (meaning seven), the group was renamed by Mícháel Ó Domhnaill after Tony MacMahon left the group to work as a producer for BBC
. The Bothy Band made its debut on 2 February 1975 at Trinity College, Dublin
.
In 1975, the Bothy Band released their eponymous first album on Green Linnet Records
, which received critical acclaim and established their reputation as a significant musical force in Irish traditional music. In 1976, the released their second album, Old Hag You Have Killed Me, which also received critical praise and expanded their following. In 1977, they recorded what would be their last studio album, Out of the Wind – Into the Sun. In 1979, the thy Band released a live album, After Hours (Live in Paris). The album included tracks recorded in London by the BBC at the Pares Theater in July 1976 and the Kilburn National Theater in July 1978.
During their four years together, the Bothy Band featured a variety of fiddlers. Original fiddler Glackin was replaced by Donegal-style fiddler Tommy Peoples on the band's debut album. Peoples in turn was replaced by Sligo-influenced fiddler Kevin Burke on the second release.
After the group disbanded in 1979, the members continued to play influential musical roles in the Irish traditional music movement. Lunny returned to Planxty
, and then later helped form the Celtic rock band Moving Hearts
. He continued working as a record producer, and occasionally collaborated with former Silly Wizard
vocalist Andy Stewart
. Matt Molloy
joined internationally known ensemble The Chieftains
and Kevin Burke
, after several solo projects, including two with Mícheál Ó Domhnaill
, helped found the band Patrick Street
with Jackie Daly
(formerly of De Dannan
) and Andy Irvine (formerly part of Planxty
). Mícheál Ó Domhnaill and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill
went on to form the successful groups Relativity
and Nightnoise
.
In 1994, previously unreleased concert recordings from 1976 and 1978 were released as BBC Radio One – The Bothy Band Live in Concert. Following the death of Mícheál Ó Domhnaill in July 2006, the surviving members of the Bothy Band came together at the tribute concert A Gig for Mícheál, held on 24 May 2007.
The Bothy Band was formed in 1975 by bouzouki player Dónal Lunny
Dónal Lunny
Dónal Lunny is an Irish folk musician. Lunny has been at the forefront of the evolution of traditional Irish music for more than thirty-five years and has participated within the renaissance of traditional Irish music in that time period...
, after he left the group Planxty
Planxty
Planxty is an Irish folk music band formed in the 1970s, consisting initially of Christy Moore , Dónal Lunny , Andy Irvine , and Liam O'Flynn...
to form his own record company, Mulligan. Lunny invited uilleann piper Paddy Keenan
Paddy Keenan
Paddy Keenan is an Irish player of the uilleann pipes who first gained fame as a founding member of The Bothy Band. Since that group's dissolution in the late 1970s, Keenan has released a number of solo and collaborative recordings, and continues to tour both as a soloist, and with...
, flute and whistle player Matt Molloy
Matt Molloy
Matt Molloy is an Irish musician, from a region known for producing talented flautists. As a child, he began playing the flute and won the All-Ireland Flute Championship at only seventeen years old...
, fiddler Paddy Glackin
Paddy Glackin
Paddy Glackin is an Irish fiddler from Clontarf, Dublin. His father Tom Glackin was from Donegal and Paddy's fiddle style reflects his family's Donegal roots. Glackin is considered one of the leading Irish fiddlers in the late 20th/early 21st centuries. He became fiddle champion at the All-Ireland...
, and accordion player Tony MacMahon
Tony MacMahon
Tony MacMahon is an Irish button accordion player and broadcaster. Among his influences were accordionists Joe Cooley and Sonny Brogan, as well as piper Willie Clancy, fiddler Bobby Casey, and singer and piper Seamus Ennis....
to get involved in an early project for the new label. This group of players was soon joined by a brother and sister who played in the Irish traditional group Skara Brae
Skara Brae
Skara Brae is a large stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It consists of ten clustered houses, and was occupied from roughly 3180 BCE–2500 BCE...
: Mícheál Ó Domhnaill
Mícheál Ó Domhnaill
Mícheál Ó Domhnaill was an Irish singer, guitarist, and composer, who was a major influence on Irish traditional music in the second half of the twentieth century...
on acoustic guitar and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill
Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill
Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill is an Irish traditional singer, pianist, and composer, considered one of the most influential female vocalists in the history of Irish music. She is famed for her work with traditional Irish groups such as Skara Brae, The Bothy Band, Relativity, Touchstone, and Nightnoise.-...
on clavinet and vocals. Originally called, Seachter (meaning seven), the group was renamed by Mícháel Ó Domhnaill after Tony MacMahon left the group to work as a producer for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. The Bothy Band made its debut on 2 February 1975 at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
.
In 1975, the Bothy Band released their eponymous first album on Green Linnet Records
Green Linnet Records
Green Linnet Records was an American independent record label that specialized in Celtic music. Founded by Lisa Null and Patrick Sky as Innisfree Records in 1973, the label was initially based in Null's house in New Canaan, Connecticut. In 1975, the label became Innisfree/Green Linnet and Wendy...
, which received critical acclaim and established their reputation as a significant musical force in Irish traditional music. In 1976, the released their second album, Old Hag You Have Killed Me, which also received critical praise and expanded their following. In 1977, they recorded what would be their last studio album, Out of the Wind – Into the Sun. In 1979, the thy Band released a live album, After Hours (Live in Paris). The album included tracks recorded in London by the BBC at the Pares Theater in July 1976 and the Kilburn National Theater in July 1978.
During their four years together, the Bothy Band featured a variety of fiddlers. Original fiddler Glackin was replaced by Donegal-style fiddler Tommy Peoples on the band's debut album. Peoples in turn was replaced by Sligo-influenced fiddler Kevin Burke on the second release.
After the group disbanded in 1979, the members continued to play influential musical roles in the Irish traditional music movement. Lunny returned to Planxty
Planxty
Planxty is an Irish folk music band formed in the 1970s, consisting initially of Christy Moore , Dónal Lunny , Andy Irvine , and Liam O'Flynn...
, and then later helped form the Celtic rock band Moving Hearts
Moving Hearts
Moving Hearts is an Irish folk-rock band formed in 1981. They followed in the footsteps of Horslips in combining Irish traditional music with rock and roll, and also added elements of jazz to their sound.-Career:...
. He continued working as a record producer, and occasionally collaborated with former Silly Wizard
Silly Wizard
Silly Wizard was a Scottish folk band that began forming in Edinburgh in 1970. The founder members were two like-minded university students—Gordon Jones and Bob Thomas...
vocalist Andy Stewart
Andy Stewart
Andy Stewart may refer to:*Andy Stewart , Scottish musician and entertainer*Andy Stewart , British MP for Sherwood, 1983–1992*Andy M...
. Matt Molloy
Matt Molloy
Matt Molloy is an Irish musician, from a region known for producing talented flautists. As a child, he began playing the flute and won the All-Ireland Flute Championship at only seventeen years old...
joined internationally known ensemble The Chieftains
The Chieftains
The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...
and Kevin Burke
Kevin Burke
Kevin Burke is an Irish fiddler considered one of the top living Irish fiddlers. Born in London to parents from County Sligo in 1950, Burke took up the fiddle at the age of eight, eventually acquiring a virtuosic technique in the Sligo fiddling style. In 1974, he moved to Ireland, where he formed...
, after several solo projects, including two with Mícheál Ó Domhnaill
Mícheál Ó Domhnaill
Mícheál Ó Domhnaill was an Irish singer, guitarist, and composer, who was a major influence on Irish traditional music in the second half of the twentieth century...
, helped found the band Patrick Street
Patrick Street
Patrick Street is an Irish folk group.The band was formed in Dublin in 1986 with Kevin Burke on fiddle, Jackie Daly on button accordion, Andy Irvine on bouzouki and vocals, and Arty McGlynn on guitar...
with Jackie Daly
Jackie Daly
Jackie Daly is an Irish button accordion and concertina player. He has been a member of a number of prominent Irish traditional-music bands, including De Dannan, Patrick Street, Arcady, and Buttons & Bows.-Biography:...
(formerly of De Dannan
De Dannan
De Dannan was an Irish folk music group. They were formed by Frankie Gavin , Alec Finn , Johnny "Ringo" McDonagh and Charlie Piggott as a result of sessions in Hughes's Pub in An Spidéal, County Galway, subsequently inviting Dolores Keane to join the band...
) and Andy Irvine (formerly part of Planxty
Planxty
Planxty is an Irish folk music band formed in the 1970s, consisting initially of Christy Moore , Dónal Lunny , Andy Irvine , and Liam O'Flynn...
). Mícheál Ó Domhnaill and Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill
Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill
Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill is an Irish traditional singer, pianist, and composer, considered one of the most influential female vocalists in the history of Irish music. She is famed for her work with traditional Irish groups such as Skara Brae, The Bothy Band, Relativity, Touchstone, and Nightnoise.-...
went on to form the successful groups Relativity
Relativity (band)
Relativity was a Scotch-Irish quartet formed in 1985 consisting of two Scottish brothers and an Irish brother and sister. The four members of the band were brothers Phil Cunningham and John Cunningham , from the influential Scottish band Silly Wizard, and Irish sister and brother Tríona Ní...
and Nightnoise
Nightnoise
Nightnoise was a music ensemble active from 1984 to 1997. Their original blend of Irish traditional music, Celtic music, jazz, and classical chamber music inspired a generation of Irish musicians...
.
In 1994, previously unreleased concert recordings from 1976 and 1978 were released as BBC Radio One – The Bothy Band Live in Concert. Following the death of Mícheál Ó Domhnaill in July 2006, the surviving members of the Bothy Band came together at the tribute concert A Gig for Mícheál, held on 24 May 2007.
Discography
- The Bothy Band (1975) Track listing of 1983 reissue at irishtune.info.
- Old Hag You Have Killed Me (1976) Track listing of 1982 reissue at irishtune.info
- Out of the Wind – Into the Sun (1977) Track listing of 1985 reissue at irishtune.info
- After Hours (Live in Paris) (1979) Track listing of 1984 reissue at irishtune.info
- Best of the Bothy Band (1983) Track listing of 1988 reissue at irishtune.info
- The Bothy Band Live in Concert (1995)