Sweeney's Men
| Sweeney's Men | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Irish folk |
| founding | 1966, 2012 |
| resolution | 1969/2013 |
| Founding members | |
| Johnny Moynihan | |
| Andy Irvine | |
acoustic guitar |
"Galway Joe" Dolan |
| former members | |
Concertina , acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo , vocals |
Terry Woods |
acoustic guitar, electric guitar
|
Henry McCullough |
acoustic guitar |
Al O'Donnell |
Sweeney's Men were an Irish folk band that existed from 1966 to 1969. It was the first Irish band to use the Irish bouzouki , along with numerous other plucked instruments . Occasionally they are seen as the band that started the Irish folk revival.
Origin of the band name
The band was named after the legendary, pagan and crazy King Sweeney (also Sweeny) of Antrim , who played a leading role in the novel Two Birds Swim by Flann O'Brien . The choice of the name should also express criticism of the overwhelming Catholic Church .
Band history
The band was formed in 1966 by Johnny Moynihan, Andy Irvine and Joseph "Galway Joe" Dolan. The first two singles reached the Irish top ten. In June 1967 Dolan, who had participated in the Masada project in Israel in 1965, left the band to take part in the Six Day War on Israel's side . Allegedly he reached Israel on the "seventh day" of the war. He was replaced by Terry Woods , with whom the first album, Sweeney's Men, was released in 1968. In addition to Irish, it also contains American and Scottish pieces. In May 1968 Irvine left the band to study the music of Eastern Europe, especially the Balkans . For him came Henry McCullough , who also played electric guitar and brought about a brief turn to psychedelic , progressive music before he switched to Joe Cocker's Grease Band in July 1968 . He was replaced by Al O'Donnell. The second album, The Tracks of Sweeney, recorded Moynihan and Woods as a duo before the band split up in November 1969.
In 2012 Irvine, Moynihan and Woods played a concert for Irvine's 70th birthday as Sweeney's Men , and in 2013 they continued the concert series.
Discography
Albums
- 1968: Sweeney's Men
- 1969: The Tracks of Sweeney
Singles
- 1967: Old Maid in the Garrett / The Derby Ram
- 1968: Waxie's Dargle / Old Woman in Cotton
- 1968: Sullivan's John / Rattlin 'Roarin' Willie
Remarks
- ↑ Not to be confused with the Irish singer Joseph Francis Robert "Joe" Dolan
Web links
- The original cast at irish-showbands.com (English)
- Sweeney's Men Andy Irvine's website (English)
- Portrait on the website of the Town Hall Theater Galway (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Portrait on the Town Hall Theater Galway website , accessed August 14, 2015
- ↑ a b c d Sweeney’s Men on Andy Irvine's website ( Memento from September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
- ↑ Overview at irishrock.org (English), accessed on August 14, 2015
- ↑ Description of the concert ( Memento from March 9, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) at andyirvine.com (English)
- ↑ Concert preview at advertiser.ie (English), accessed on August 14, 2015