The Bothy Band: Legendary trad group's summer reunion gigs cancelled due to illness
The reunited Bothy Band: 2024 gigs cancelled owing to co-founder Dónal Lunny's major surgery
Scheduled live reunion concerts of trad/folk outfit The Bothy Band, set for July and August at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, have been cancelled, according to an announcement from promoters on Tuesday morning.
On social media, the NCH stated that bouzouki player Dónal Lunny, a co-founder of the group following his 1974 departure from genre trailblazers Planxty, was set for "major surgery", necessitating the cancellation of scheduled gigs on Saturday, July 17 and Thursday, August 24, to facilitate "a lengthy recuperation".
"We are mindful of the many people who were looking forward to the band's performances at the National Concert Hall.
"The members of the Bothy Band very much regret that we are obliged to cancel all concerts for 2024 as the recovery of Dónal comes first. We are hopeful that we can re-schedule concerts for 2025.
"We would request that people respect Dónal's privacy as he works towards recovery," concluded a statement co-signed by Lunny's current bandmates, including Tríona ní Dhomhnaill, Matt Molloy, Paddy Keenan, Kevin Burke, Paddy Glackin, and Seán Óg Graham.
The group were set for concerts featuring surviving original members — their first Dublin dates under the name since 1979 — following a gig at Belfast's Waterfront Hall in February for Belfast Tradfest, and an Easter Bank Holiday airing of a TG4 documentary on the band's life and times, including a live, in-studio performance.
Over the course of four short years, The Bothy Band made a definitive impact on the living tradition, releasing three studio albums domestically through Mulligan Records between 1975 and 1979, including 1976's Old Hag You Have Killed Me, which received critical acclaim for its progressive take on the genre.
The intervening years saw all concerned kept busy, as Lunny returned to Planxty and joined Moving Hearts, as well as pursuing contemporary music, including producing short-lived Dublin punks The Threat's cult classic 'High Cost of Living', and performing live as a guest with son Oisín's radical hip-hop group Marxman.
Molloy would record two albums with Planxty before joining The Chieftains; Burke would found Patrick Street with Andy Irvine, Jackie Daly and Arty McGlynn; while Ní Dhomhnaill, previously of folk/pop trailblazers Skara Brae, would go on to co-found folk band Relativity and Celtic ensemble Nightnoise.
Following the 2006 passing of original member Mícheál O'Domhnaill, members of the Bothy Band played a single reunion gig in May of 2007, at Dublin's Vicar Street, with all proceeds going to the Irish Traditional Music Archive.
In 2008, the band were among the second group of Irish folk bands immortalised on a commemorative Irish postage stamp.
- The National Concert Hall stated that it will automatically refund tickets, apologising for the inconvenience caused.
- People with any further inquiries are asked to email the venue at info@nch.ie.
