# Irish musician and producer Dónal Lunny dies of cancer aged 79

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/donal-lunny-obituary/
- Published: 2026-10-29T16:32:34+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-29T17:17:16+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/oct/29/donal-lunny-obituary
- Topics: Art, Culture, Health, Medicine

## Key points

- Dónal Lunny has died of cancer aged 79.
- He helped shape three influential Irish folk bands.
- His arrangements popularised the Irish bouzouki.

## Summary

Dónal Lunny, the Irish musician and producer who helped reshape traditional music through Planxty, the Bothy Band and Moving Hearts, has died of cancer aged 79. His adventurous arrangements and adaptation of the Greek bouzouki into the flat-backed Irish bouzouki influenced how the instrument was used in Irish music.

Lunny worked closely with Christy Moore and Andy Irvine, and produced albums for artists including Elvis Costello, Kate Bush, Sinéad O’Connor and Mark Knopfler. He also composed for film and television, and was musical director of the 1991 BBC and RTÉ series *Bringing It All Back Home*, which won an Emmy. His career included a 1968 Irish number one with Emmet Spiceland and a key role in Planxty’s influential blend of traditional and new songs.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.