Arty McGlynn

(07/08/1944-18/12/2019)

The late sixties saw him working further afield, in the UK and USA, moving from band to band and adding the pedal steel guitar to his musical arsenal along the way. However, by the mid seventies the endless run of one nighters had begun to lose their appeal and Arty was beginning to look for something that would excite him again.

Towards the end of the decade Arty revived his interest in Irish traditional music and recorded his first solo album, McGlynn's Fancy. This was the first recording where the guitar is played in an authentic traditional style, and as such has been hailed as a classic in the traditional music world.

He subsequently became one of the most sought after musicians in the country, playing and recording with Christy Moore, Paul Brady, Donal Lunny, Liam O'Flynn and the Chieftains. He also played as a member of Planxty, Patrick Street, De Danann and the Van Morrison Band.

He was equally in demand as a live performer, recording artist and producer. The album Barking Mad by Four Men & A Dog, which Arty produced, was voted Folk Album of the Year by Folk Roots magazine. Other production credits include Christy Hennessy's The Rehearsal, an album that remained in the Irish charts continuously for eighteen months. He collaborated with Frances Black on her first two albums, Talk to Me and The Sky Road, both of which topped the charts in Ireland.