Johnny Moynihan
Johnny Moynihan (born 29 October 1946 in Phibsboro, Dublin) is an Irish folk musician and singer who helped spark the Irish folk revival. He’s often called the Bard of Dalymount because of his Dublin roots. He is best known for bringing the bouzouki into Irish music in the mid-1960s and for his wide range of instruments, including fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki, tin whistle, harmonica, and button accordion.
Moynihan co-founded Sweeney’s Men with Andy Irvine and Joe Dolan (who was later replaced by Terry Woods). The band released two albums, Sweeney’s Men and The Tracks of Sweeney, and helped change Irish music with their innovative sound. Moynihan popularized the bouzouki in Ireland, using it to create distinctive harmonies with Irvine and the rest of the group. He later swapped the Greek bouzouki for a pre-war Gibson mandolin.
Throughout his career, Moynihan collaborated with many others. He briefly joined Planxty for the 1973 album Cold Blow and the Rainy Night, replaced Irvine in De Dannan in 1976 and appeared on their 1977 album Selected Jigs, Reels & Songs. He also worked with Maddy Prior & June Tabor (the Silly Sisters) and with Tony Hall, and fronted the Fleadh Cowboys in the 1980s. In 2006 he played Appalachian music with a trio that later became Moonshine.
Moynihan has reunited with Irvine on several occasions: a 2001 Galway concert, a 2007 Rostrevor concert with Irvine and Woods, and a 2012–2013 series of Sweeney’s Men gigs as part of Irvine’s 70th birthday celebrations. He is also known for his early association with Anne Briggs, providing backing bouzouki on some tracks of her The Time Has Come album.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:48 (CET).