Andy Irvine

Andrew Kennedy 'Andy' Irvine (born 14 June 1942) is a folk musician, singer, and songwriter, and a founding member of the popular band Planxty. He is an accomplished player of the mandolin, bouzouki, mandola, guitar-bouzouki, harmonica and hurdy-gurdy. Andrew Irvine was born in St John's Wood, North West London to Irish-Scots parents. His mother was an actress, and as a child Irvine made a few minor appearances on stage and in films, but he gave ... more

Andrew Kennedy 'Andy' Irvine (born 14 June 1942) is a folk musician, singer, and songwriter, and a founding member of the popular band Planxty. He is an accomplished player of the mandolin, bouzouki, mandola, guitar-bouzouki, harmonica and hurdy-gurdy. Andrew Irvine was born in St John's Wood, North West London to Irish-Scots parents. His mother was an actress, and as a child Irvine made a few minor appearances on stage and in films, but he gave up acting when he reached adolescence. He studied classical guitar, but gave it up for "trad" (traditional) music upon discovering Lonnie Donegan and the Skiffle boom of the 1950s, and, later, Woody Guthrie, who was to become an enduring influence on his music and outlook. In the 1960s he found himself in Dublin, and began an itinerant life of a musician. He found musical influences in the likes of Ewan MacColl (notably the songs he wrote for his radio-ballads), and the Child Ballads. There he met Johnny Moynihan, with whom he formed a musical... less