A short stay in hospital

The announcement of the Dónal Lunny death came through a post on his Facebook page, which said he died peacefully in St James's hospital in Dublin on Friday morning following a short stay. The post thanked people for helping to remember his contribution to music, culture and many people's lives.

It closed with the words:

Tributes from state leaders

President Catherine Connolly offered her deepest condolences to Lunny's family, friends and many musical collaborators. She described him as one of Ireland's greatest musical figures and a wonderfully talented musician and producer, and said he would be remembered for:

• his long partnerships with fellow musicians such as Christy Moore and Andy Irvine
• his central role in introducing the bouzouki into Irish music

Taoiseach Micheál Martin wrote that he was deeply saddened, calling Lunny "A colossus of Irish music, as a performer, songwriter and producer". He added that Dónal carried traditional and folk music to new audiences through Planxty and his many other endeavours.

Bands and the bouzouki

Born in Tullamore, County Offaly, Lunny rose to prominence in the band Rakes of Kildare alongside Christy Moore and his brother Frank. A multi-instrumentalist, he was best known for his mastery of the bouzouki and was also regarded as a talented melody writer.

Over his career he toured the world with several influential groups:

• Planxty
• the Bothy Band
• Moving Hearts
• Coolfin

Recognition and the Mulligan years

Lunny was recognised by his fellow artists through his membership of Aosdána, and received a lifetime achievement award at the 2025 RTÉ Radio 1 Irish folk awards. He was considered central to the revival of traditional music, and produced 17 albums under his record label Mulligan Records.

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald called him a giant of Irish traditional music who helped shape the sound of Irish music for generations, ending her tribute with the words "Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam" - may his soul rest in peace.