Folk legend Andy Irvine for Ballinasloe’s Pillar House

Folk legend Andy Irvine will play the Pillar House Folk Club in Ballinasloe next Friday, July 17 as part of its Summer Season of shows which saw Mary Coughlan play there last month to mark the venue’s first anniversary.

He may have been born in England, but Andy Irvine has become synonymous with Ireland’s traditional and folk scene since he moved to this country as a young man.

He was founding member of the groundbreaking Planxty with Christy Moore, Donal Lunny and Liam Óg O’ Flynn. The group achieved huge success and legendary status, reigniting traditional music as a popular genre. While Planxty took a break in 1967, Andy joined forces with Paul Brady and the pair recorded a classic album together, simply entitled Andy Irvine and Paul Brady. Planxty re-formed from 1979 to 1983 and then disbanded, after which Andy began his solo career recording his first album Rainy Sundays . . . Windy Dreams.

His second album was Parallel Lines, a collaboration with the great Scots troubadour, Dick Gaughan.

Andy subsequently formed a band with Donal Lunny and some European friends, which fused Irish and European folk sounds. That incarnation of Mozaik completed one European tour before Andy returned to solo and collaborative work.  Various collaborations led to the formation of the trad ‘super-group’ Patrick Street consisting of Kevin Burke (Bothy Band), Jackie Daly (De Dannan) and guitar maestro Arty McGlynn. The four toured and released three albums from 1987-1990 and then regrouped in 1993.

In between working with Patrick Street Andy recorded two solo albums, one consisting entirely of Balkan music, which Andy had learned on his youthful travels.  In 2002, Andy finally formed his “dream band”, Mozaik, with Donal Lunny, Dutch guitarist Rens van der Zalm, Hungarian bagpiper Nikola Parov and American fiddler Bruce Molsky.

Andy continues to tour the world with Mozaik as well as with Patrick Street. He also reunited with fellow Planxty members and with Paul Brady for a series of of reunion concerts in the last few years.

Never Tire of the Road is one of his best-known songs, and Andy Irvine has neither tired of touring nor of the music which ignited his passion as a young man.

Tickets for his show are €20 and are available from The Pillar House, Tel: 090 96 43939 / 087 9046140.

Please see www.thepillarhouse.ie for upcoming dates.