The Irish traditional musician Dónal Lunny has died at the age of 79 from cancer. Lunny rose to prominence in the trio Rakes of Kildare alongside his brother Frank and Christy Moore. He went on to play in bands such as Planxty, Moving Hearts, the Bothy Band and Coolfin among others and toured the world.
A post on his Facebook page confirmed that Lunny died in St James’s hospital in Dublin on Friday morning. In a statement, she said: “Dónal was one of Ireland’s greatest musical figures, a wonderfully talented musician and producer who was central to so many of the most influential moments of the last 60 years of Irish music. He will be deeply missed.” The post ended in Irish, saying his likes will not be seen again: “Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann.” Lunny was born in Tullamore, County Offaly, and was a multi-instrumentalist but was best known for his mastery of the bouzouki.
He was a talented melody writer and considered central to the revival of traditional music as he produced 17 albums under his record label Mulligan Records. The taoiseach, Micheál Martin, said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of Lunny’s death. A giant of Irish traditional music, Dónal helped shape the sound of Irish music for generations, bringing our rich musical heritage to audiences at home and around the world.
His contribution to Irish music and culture will never be forgotten.
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