Planxty

Irish band of the 1970s, notable for its innovative arrangements of traditional and contemporary folk song. Together with the Bothy Band, it is regarded as one of the most influential traditional music bands of modern times. Formed out of a group of musicians gathered to record Christy Moore's 1972 solo album Prosperous, the original line-up included Christy Moore (vocals, guitar, bodhrán), Donal Lunny (bouzouki, guitar), Andy Irvine (bouzouki, guitar, harmonica, vocals), and Liam O'Flynn (uileann pipes, whistles).

The band went through many changes in personnel, including the singers Delores Keane and Paul Brady and musicians Matt Molloy (flute), Bill Whelan (keyboards), and Nollaig Casey (fiddle). It split between 1975 and 1978 and finally split in 1981 when Donal Lunny and Christy Moore formed the Celtic rock band Moving Hearts.

Planxty performed excellent arrangements of dance tunes, but was best known for its arrangements characterized by complex contrapuntal multiple guitar, bouzouki, and mandolin parts. Albums include Planxty (1972), After the Break (1979), The Woman I Loved so Well (1980), and Words and Music (1983). Perhaps the band's most important performance was as the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest interval piece with Timedance, which included Bill Whelan and influenced directly his composition of the 1994 Eurovision interval piece Riverdance.