Bothy Band, the

Traditional Irish band of the 1970s that could be claimed to have set the mould for traditional bands right up to the present day. It was formed in Dublin in 1974 and, after a few initial personnel changes, the line-up quickly settled as Matt Molloy (flute; later a member of the Chieftains), Donal Lunny (bouzouki, guitar, bodhrán), Micheál Ó Domhnaill (guitar, vocals), Tríona Ní Domhnaill (clarinet, vocals), Paddy Keenan (uilleann pipes, whistle), and Tommy Peoples (fiddle, later to be replaced by Kevin Burke). The band recorded their eponymously named first album in 1975 for Mulligan Records and went on to record three more. They also toured extensively, especially in Europe, before disbanding in 1979.

The Bothy Band was perhaps most notable for its energetic and powerful arrangements of dance tunes, featuring a driving harmonic and rhythmical accompaniment on guitar, bouzouki, bodhrán, and clarinet. This arguably owed more to popular than traditional music. They also placed the performance of dance music into popular music settings, such as festivals and clubs, for the first time. Most significantly, their style of arrangement – developing textures by combining and recombining instruments that played the melody or chordal accompaniment with the occasional use of simple contrapuntal harmony lines – is that followed by the majority of traditional bands to this day.

Their most important albums are The Bothy Band (1976), Old Hag You Have Killed Me (1976), and After Hours – Live in Paris (1979).