The Bothy Band - Biography
By Scott Feemster
Though The Bothy Band were only together for three years and produced only three studio albums, there influence has been great upon many Celtic musicians following in their wake in the ensuing years. Their musical virtuosity and driving enthusiasm for playing traditional Irish folk music helped to set the standard for bands that followed.
The beginning of what would become The Bothy Band was started in 1975 when bouzouki player Donal Lunny left the celebrated “new” Irish folk ensemble Planxty to start his own record label, Mulligan, a label that was to be devoted to his projects and various interests. A group he put together for one of his first projects consisted of flutist and whistle player Matt Molloy, fiddler Paddy Glackin, uillean pipe player Paddy Keenan and accordionist Tony MacMahon. The new aggregation was soon joined by the brother and sister team of acoustic guitar player Michael O' Domhnaill and clavinet player and vocalist Triona Ni Dhomhnaill. The Domhnaill's hailed from a family deeply entrenched in Irish folklore and music, as their aunt had contributed hundreds of songs to the Dublin University folklore collection, and they themselves had formed a traditional Irish folk group with their sister Maighread called Skara Brae in years previous. The new group were all deeply educated in and adept at playing traditional Irish music, but were also all younger players, so their playing showed a fire that came from youth and the excitement of playing with new people. The new band originally called themselves Seachtar, which translates in English as “Seven”, but after McMahon departed the band to work in production for the BBC, they instead changed their name to The Bothy Band, an old Scottish Gaelic term that used to refer to a group of people that lived together and would perform music at farm dances in the countryside. Their first performance as The Bothy Band occurred at Trinity College in Dublin in early 1975.
The new group quickly built up a reputation in and around Dublin, and soon were in the studio recording their first album, The Bothy Band (Polydor), released that same year, 1975. The album was a collection made up entirely of traditional Irish folk songs done in the band's fiery, upbeat style, and put the Celtic folk world on notice that a new force in the music had arrived. By the time the album was recorded, the band had also gained a second fiddler in Tommy Peoples. The complex, driving, interlocking rhythms, taking cues from Irish, Donegal and Scottish traditions, and the soaring, beautiful melodies the band showed they were capable of on their first album didn't seem to be able to be topped, but the band came roaring back in 1976 with their second album, Old Hag You Have Killed Me (Green Linnet). By this time fiddler Glackin had left the fold and was replaced by the remarkable Kevin Burke, a highly gifted player who was adept at the ornamental Sligo style of Irish fiddling. Ni Dhomhnaill's clavinet playing was also brought further to the forefront of the band's sound, adding more of a percussive effect and adding to the sense of drive. Old Hag.. was again an album made up entirely of old tunes in the Irish canon of folk songs, but was played with such a ferocious intensity and with such obvious affection that it could be put alongside any rock album of the period as an example of what a new generation of young musicians were capable of. What is often said about “the flame that shines brightly, shines briefly” was also true in the context of The Bothy Band. After two albums and a series of tours that knocked the Celtic folk world on it's ears, by the time of the band's third album, 1977's Out Of The Wind Into The Sun (Green Linnet), the shine was definitely off the apple. Though it was still a strong album, the record featured more modern touches like Ni Dhomhnaill's use of synthesizers and electric piano that seemed to take away some of the focus on the traditional Irish instrumentation the band had become known for. Out Of The Wind... continued the amazing instrumental interplay the band was adept at, especially the Donegal-styled twin fiddle attack of fiddlers Kevin Burke and Tommy Peoples. Though the album would be strong by almost any other band's standards, it wasn't quite up to the level of excellence of the first two releases, and it was clear the group was starting to spin it's wheels. After touring to support the album through 1978, the members of the group decided to disband to concentrate on other projects. Two live albums were released after the band split up, the 1979 release After Hours (Live In Paris)(Green Linnet), documenting one of their last shows together in June of 1978, and the later release Live In Concert (Windsong), released in 1995, documenting two shows the group had recorded for the BBC, the first in London at the Pares Theater in 1976, the second recorded at the Kilburn National Theater in 1978. An overview of the band's career together, The Best Of The Bothy Band, was released by Green Linnet in 1988.
Reasons for The Bothy Band being so influential in the Celtic music world had to do not only with their short but shining career together, but also to do with what the ex-members of the band went on to do after the group had split up. The Dhomhnaills, Triona and Michael, both moved to the United States after The Bothy Band split up. Triona formed the band Touchstone, and after that band broke up, formed the bands Relativity and Nightnoise with her brother. Michael O' Domhnaill also recorded and album later with fiddler Paddy Glackin. Glackin and Paddy Keenan released the important uillean pipes/fiddle duet album Doublin' (Tara) together later in the 70's. Donal Lunny returned to his previous band, Planxty, for a while, and then went on to form the Celtic-rock band Moving Hearts with Christy Moore. He has also continued his production career, working with such notable acts as Capercaillie and Altan, and has had an ongoing collaboration with vocalist Andy Stewart, the former singer of Silly Wizard. Currently he is also in the band Coolfin. Kevin Burke went on to record several well-regarded solo albums and later formed the band Patrick Street with Matt Molloy. Molloy also recorded several solo albums and went on to possibly the greatest fame as a member of Ireland's traditional music national treasures The Chieftains.