Planxty

Planxty were an Irish folk music band formed in January 1972,

Reunion and second run (1978–1983)

After the break-up, Moynihan retreated into obscurity, continuing to perform occasionally, but rarely recorded. In between the Planxty activity, Irvine squeezed in tours in Europe with Lunny, Mick Hanly and Gerry O'Beirne. He also recorded his first solo album, Rainy Sundays... Windy Dreams, at Windmill Lane Studios in late 1979, produced by Lunny and released on Tara Records in 1980. ushered in the inaugural gig at Dublin's Vicar Street, of a quartet including three members of the original Planxty. They called themselves 'LAPD', after the initials of their first names: Liam O'Flynn, Andy Irvine, Paddy Glackin, and Dónal Lunny.

alt=|thumb|370px|Dónal Lunny, Andy Irvine, Liam O'Flynn and Paddy Glackin as 'LAPD', March 2012

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/Blacksmithereens" 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".

In June of 2012, at a pair of concerts to mark Andy Irvine's 70th birthday, LAPD performed two songs that had been Planxty standards, "The West Coast of Clare" and "The Blacksmith", which were included on a subsequent live album. Paul Brady performed on the latter, making it a Planxty reunion of sorts.

LAPD performed only occasionally, to rave reviews, but never recorded before their final performance, which took place at Sligo Live, on Saturday 26 October 2013.

Usher's Island (2015–present day)

When O'Flynn resigned from LAPD, Irvine, Lunny and Glackin were joined by Michael McGoldrick and John Doyle to form a new group named Usher's Island (a reference to the Dublin quay).

==Etymology==

"Planxty" was a word used by people who named works by harper Turlough O'Carolan after his death, and is believed to denote a tribute to a particular person: "Planxty Irwin," for example, would be in honour of Colonel John Irwin of Sligo. "Planxty" is thought to be a corruption of the Irish word and popular toast "sláinte", meaning "good health." Another possible explanation is that it is derived from the Latin planctus, a medieval lament composed in honour of a deceased person or a tragic event; also suggested is Ancient Greek (planktos, "wandering, roaming.")

Regardless of its origin, the name, which replaced the provisional "CLAD" (Christy – Liam – Andy – Dónal), turned out to be a good fit, as O'Carolan's music would play an important part in the band's repertoire. (see "Influences", below).

Influences

A formative influence on Planxty, and in particular on Moore, was the singing of Irish Traveller John "Jacko" Reilly who hailed from Boyle, County Roscommon. It was from Reilly that Moore learned "Raggle Taggle Gypsy", which was recorded for the first Planxty album, in addition to "The Well Below the Valley," which appeared on The Well Below the Valley. Moore later dipped into Reilly's songbook again for an updated version of the lengthy ballad "Lord Baker," which was featured on Planxty's 1983 album Words & Music. ("Baker" appears to be a mondegreen for the "Beichan" of earlier versions.) Reilly died in 1969 at the age of 44, shortly after being found beneath his coats in the top room of his dwelling in Boyle by Tom Munnelly, who had originally collected his songs for archiving.

The music of Turlough O'Carolan appeared on a number of Planxty albums (including the B-side of their very first single), played by O'Flynn on the pipes. Much of this music first came to the attention of the band through the work of seminal Irish composer Seán Ó Riada and his group Ceoltóirí Chualann.

Members

Dónal Lunny – vocals, bouzouki, guitar, bodhrán, portative organ, blarge, synthesiser, spinnet, dulcimer, bowed psaltery, Prophet synthesizer (1972-1973, 1978-1983, 2003-2005)
Andy Irvine – vocals, mandolin, mandola, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica, dulcimer (1972-1975, 1978-1983, 2003-2005)
Liam O'Flynn – uileann pipes, tin whistle (1972-1975, 1978-1983, 2003-2005, died 2018)
Christy Moore – vocals, guitar, harmonica, bodhrán (1972-1975, 1978-1983, 2003-2005)
Johnny Moynihan – vocals, bouzouki, fiddle, tin whistle (1973-1975)
Paul Brady – vocals, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, tin whistle (1974-1975)
Matt Molloy – flute, tin whistle (1978-1979, 1980)
Noel Hill – concertina (1980)
Tony Linnane – fiddle (1980)
Bill Whelan – keyboards (1980-1983)
Nollaig Casey – fiddle (1980-1983)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

1973: Planxty
1973: The Well Below the Valley
1974: Cold Blow and the Rainy Night
1979: After the Break
1980: The Woman I Loved So Well
1983: Words & Music

Live Albums

1987: The Best of Planxty Live – a two-cassette live album compiled from shows at Olympia Theatre in Dublin, 18–23 August 1980. The unauthorized release by their former manager Kevin Flynn (PLANX MC01), was stopped by a court injunction.
2004: Live 2004
2018: One Night in Bremen - Recorded by Radio Bremen on April 24th, 1979 at University of Bremen.

Anthologies

1976: The Planxty Collection—Includes "The Cliffs of Dooneen"
1984: Planxty Arís–Released in Ireland only; includes "The Cliffs Of Dooneen" and "Yarmouth Town."
2016: Between the Jigs and the Reels: A Retrospective (Universal Music Ireland CD/DVD LC01846)—A two-disc anthology, comprising a 17-track CD and a 36-track DVD with over two hours of previously unreleased footage (1972-1982) from RTÉ archives, of live recordings from the Abbey Tavern, the National Stadium, and Live on Aisling Ghael Special

Compilations

1973: Kertalg 73: 2ème Festival Pop'Celtic (France – Barclay CPF 920 452 LP)—Contains live recordings from the festival on 22 July 1973 of "Si Bheag Si Mhor", "Jig", "Raggle Taggle Gypsy"
1980: Nyon Folk Festival (France – Cat Music CAT 81004/05 LP)—Contains live recordings from the festival in July 1979 of "Raggle Taggle Gypsy" and "Smeceno Horo"
1980: High Kings of Tara (Ireland – TARA 3003)—Irish-only V/A; includes then-exclusive Planxty tracks "Lord McDonald"/"The Chattering Magpie" and "The Bonny Light Horseman" (subsequently added to the CD and digital releases of After The Break); also includes previously unreleased Andy Irvine / Dónal Lunny track, "General Monroe", as well as the Planxty set: "First Slip"/"Hardyman The Fiddler A & B"/"The Yellow Wattle".
1986: Irish Folk Festival (Sound CD 8)—Dutch-only CD; includes "Timedance" and "Nancy Spain"
1992: The Seville Suite (Tara CD 3030) – credited to Bill Whelan, features exclusive Planxty reunion studio track "Timedance '92"
2004: Christy Moore: The Box Set 1964–2004—Includes an early live recording of "The Raggle Taggle Gypsy" live at City Hall, Cork; "Three Drunken Maidens", and the previously unreleased Planxty outtake "Down In The Valley".

Singles

1972: "Three Drunken Maidens"/"Sí Bheag, Sí Mhór" – 7" single (Ruby 152)
1972: "Cliffs of Dooneen"/"Yarmouth Town" – 7" single (Polydor 2078–023)
1981: "Timedance"/"Nancy Spain" – 7" single (WEA IR 18711 / UK K 18711)
1981: "Timedance"/"Nancy Spain" – 12" single (WEA IR 28207)
1983: "I Pity the Poor Immigrant"/"The Irish Marche" – 7" single (WEA PLAN01)

With Christy Moore

1971: Prosperous (Trailer LER 3035 LP) – Christy's second solo album in the village where the members of Planxty first came together.
1983: "Easter Snow" / "The Knock Song" (WEA IR 9591 45)—7" single, with Planxty members on "Easter Snow". Republished on The Christy Moore Collection 1981–1991
1985: Ordinary Man (WEA 0706 & WEA 0763 LP) – Planxty featured on the track "St. Brendan's Voyage"

Filmography

Planxty Live 2004 (2004), DVD
Come West Along the Road Vol. 1 (2005), DVD
Come West Along the Road Vol. 2 (2007), DVD
Come West Along the Road Vol. 3 (2010), DVD
Between the Jigs and the Reels: A Retrospective (2016), DVD