Dónal Lunny, pioneer of Irish traditional music, dies aged 79 in Dublin

Death and tributes

Dónal Lunny died on Friday, 23 October 2026, at the age of 79. His family announced on Facebook that he had passed away peacefully that morning in Dublin, following a short stay in St James's Hospital. He had been ill for a lengthy period before his death, according to The Irish Times. Taoiseach Micheál Martin wrote on social media that he was deeply saddened by the news, and Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald also paid tribute online.

Uniquely gifted, Dónal carried traditional and folk music to new audiences through Planxty and his many other endeavours.

From the revival to the bouzouki

Born in Tullamore, County Offaly, in 1947, Lunny moved to Newbridge, County Kildare, at the age of five. He first met Christy Moore in 1959, and the two school friends built a musical bond that lasted for decades. Planxty, which also included Liam O'Flynn and Andy Irvine, recorded three albums between 1971 and 1973, with Lunny playing bouzouki, guitar, keyboards and bodhrán. He joined The Bothy Band in 1975, alongside Matt Molloy, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill, Kevin Burke, Paddy Glackin and Paddy Keenan. After Andy Irvine gave him a Greek bouzouki, Lunny ordered a custom-built version with a modified back, and the Irish bouzouki became closely linked with his name.

Reflecting on his bond with Moore, Lunny once said:

I had a guitar before Christy.

Mulligan Records and studio career

Lunny helped found Mulligan Records with Séamus O'Neill, but sources give different dates for the label's start. The BBC says he set up the label in 1973 and went on to produce 17 albums for it, while RTÉ Archives and RTÉ place its founding in 1976. Acts on the label included The Bothy Band, Paul Brady and The Boomtown Rats. In 1992 he produced and served as musical director of the RTÉ television series Bringing It All Back Home, a project that began a long working relationship with producer Philip King. He also composed film scores, including for This Is My Father, which starred Aidan Quinn and James Caan. He appeared on the work of many outside acts, among them Kate Bush, Mark Knopfler, Elvis Costello, U2, Clannad and Sinéad O'Connor. Bono once described him as the island's "answer to Quincy Jones". The Irish Times noted his 1991 collaboration with Sharon Shannon on her debut album, which it describes as Ireland's best-selling traditional music album.

Awards and final months

Lunny received a lifetime achievement award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2018 and another at the RTÉ Radio 1 folk awards in 2025. He held an honorary doctorate in music from Trinity College Dublin and was artist in residence at the University of Limerick. One of his last public appearances came in August 2026, when he performed at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast. Musician and composer Neil Martin, who collaborated with Lunny throughout his career, described the loss as "huge" and called him an "extraordinary figure".