Johnny Moynihan

Who is Johnny Moynihan?

John "Johnny" Moynihan, is a folk singer based in Dublin, Ireland. He is often credited as being responsible for introducing the bouzouki and the Irish bouzouki into Irish music in the mid-1960s. Known as "The Bard of Dalymount", as a young man he played in the band Sweeney's Men with Andy Irvine, Terry Woods and 'Galway Joe' Dolan. Sweeney's Men broke the mould of Irish music and are credited with starting the folk revival there in the late 1960s. The group made two albums, Sweeney's Men and The Tracks of Sweeney. The latter was without Irvine, who had taken himself off to the Balkans, an area that made a lasting impact on his subsequent music. Both albums are available on Transatlantic Records. In the 1970s Moynihan briefly joined Planxty for their album Cold Blow and the Rainy Night. After Planxty, Moynihan went his own way and for a period of time fronted the Fleadh Cowboys, a popular band in 1980s Dublin. He also flirted briefly with De Dannan and can be heard on their second album, Selected Jigs, Reels & Songs. He reunited for a one-off concert with Irvine in Galway in 2001 and can be seen and heard frequently in the Cobblestone Pub, Smithfield, Dublin.