The Arts Council and Aosdána express sadness at the death of musician and Aosdána member Dónal Lunny (1947 – 2026) - The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon

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Aosdána Arts Council Statement

The Arts Council and Aosdána express sadness at the death of musician and Aosdána member Dónal Lunny (1947 – 2026)

23 October 2026

3 min read

The Arts Council has expressed its sadness at the recent death of musician and Aosdána member Dónal Lunny, who passed away on October 23.

Dónal Lunny was born in Tullamore, county Offaly, in 1947. He went on to attend secondary school in Newbridge, county Kildare, and began accompanying traditional players in the area at the age of 15.

A leading figure in the modern renaissance of Irish traditional music, Dónal was raised with an implicit awareness of Irish music due to the influence of his parents, Francis and Mary, and from summers spent in Donegal. He won two scholarships to the National College of Art and Design where he studied from 1965 until 1968. His musical activities continued throughout his time at the College, winning the National Folksong Competition with his group Emmet Spiceland.

Dónal was one of the founding members of the group Planxty in 1971. The group redefined traditional Irish music, with their albums including ‘Cold Blow and the Rainy Night’ and ‘The Well Below the Valley’. Dónal played a variety of instruments, including the bouzouki and bódhran, on all Planxty recordings.

In 1975, he joined the Bothy Band in 1975, producing four albums in four years. When Plaxty reformed in 1980, he produced the three resulting albums before forming Moving Hearts with some of his former Planxty bandmates. Moving Hearts were responsible for such albums as ‘Dark End of the Street’ and ‘The Storm’.