The Bothy Band

Biography

The Bothy Band are an Irish traditional band, originally active during the mid 1970s. They 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.

Formation

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 Seachtar (Irish for "seven people"), the group was renamed by Mícheál 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.

Three studio album career

In 1975 the Bothy Band released their eponymous first album on Mulligan Records (in Ireland; Green Linnet Records in the US; Polydor Records in the UK). Described on RTE as 'an incendiary mix of driving folk-rock rhythms' and 'a game-changer of an album', it established their reputation as a significant musical force in Irish traditional music. In 1976, they released their second album, Old Hag You Have Killed Me×Old Hag You Have Killed Me1976 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracksA1Music in the Glen3:23A2Fionnghuala1:29A3The Kid on the Mountain3:47A4Farewell to Erin3:22A5Tiochfaidh an Samhradh (Summer Will Come)3:31A6The Laurel Tree3:18B116 Come Next Sunday3:01B2Old Hag You Have Killed Me4:16B3Calum Sgaire3:28B4The Ballintore Fancy3:37B5The Maid of Coolmore5:40B6Michael Gorman’s4:12, which was praised as 'a benchmark of the genre' of Irish music 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 Bothy Band released a live album, After Hours×After Hours1979 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1The Kesh Jig / Give Us a Drink of Water / Famous Ballymote4:41A2The Butterfly3:23A3Casadh an tSúgáin5:08A4Farewell to Erin3:27A5The Heathery Hills of Yarrow5:08B1The Death of Queen Jane4:47B2The Pipe on the Hob / The Hag at the Churn5:11B3The Priest / Mary Willie’s / This Is My Love, Do You Like Her?3:48B4How Can I Live at the Top of a Mountain?4:30B5Rosie Finn’s Favourite / Over the Water to Charlie / The Kid on the Mountain3:48B6The Green Groves of Erin / The Flowers of Red Hill3:21 (Live in Paris).
During their four years together, the Bothy Band featured a variety of fiddlers. Original fiddler Glackin was replaced by Donegal fiddler Tommy Peoples on the band's début album. Peoples in turn was replaced by Sligo-influenced fiddler Kevin Burke on the second release. They played their final gig with this lineup at the 3rd Boys of Ballisodare Festival on 10 August 1979.

After the Bothy Band break-up

After the group disbanded in 1979, the members continued to play influential musical roles in the Irish traditional music movement. Lunny returned to Planxty along with Molloy, and then later helped form the Celtic rock band Moving Hearts. He continued working as a record producer and later joined Andy Irvine to form the group Mozaik, releasing two albums in 2004 and 2007. After recording two albums with Planxty, Molloy joined The Chieftains. After several solo projects with Ó Domhnaill, Burke founded Patrick Street with Irvine and Jackie Daly (formerly of De Dannan). Ó Domhnaill and Ní Dhomhnaill went on to form Relativity and Nightnoise.
In 1994, previously unreleased concert recordings from the 1970s were released as BBC Radio One – The Bothy Band Live in Concert. The music had been recorded in two different locations on different dates – 15 July 1976, at the BBC's Paris Theatre in London, and 24 July 1978, at the National Club, Kilburn. The first nine tracks, from the Paris Theatre concert, feature Peter Browne on pipes as a stand-in for Paddy Keenan.

2007 tribute concert

Following the death of Mícheál Ó Domhnaill in July 2006, the surviving members of the Bothy Band came together at the tribute concert "Ómós- A Gig for Mícheál", held on 24 May 2007 at Vicar Street in Dublin. All proceeds from the concert went to the Irish Traditional Music Archive.

2023 - 2024 Reunion

The group reunited again in 2023, initially for a television documentary, which led to a full Irish tour in 2024. the lineup included all surviving members, including both Paddy Glackin and Kevin Burke on fiddle, joined by guest musician Seán Óg Graham on guitar. The tour was ultimately cut short due to health issues experienced by Dónal Lunny, but the band were hopeful of re-scheduling concerts for 2025.
Uillean pipes player Paddy Keenan died on 9 September 2026.