Sweeney's Men

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Sweeney's Men was an Irish traditional band. They were a part of the late 1960s Irish roots revival, along with groups like The Dubliners and the Clancy Brothers. Their line-up in 1966 was Joe Dolan, Johnny Moynihan and Andy Irvine, but Dolan was replaced by Terry Woods only a year later. At the time, they played the tin whistle, concertina, harmonica, guitar, mandolin, banjo and bouzouki.

Sweeney's Men's most famous innovation is probably Moynihan's introduction of the bouzouki, a Greek instrument, in 1967. The bouzouki played at the time was six-stringed, though the irish bouzouki with eight strings is now more common in Irish music.

Their songs included "Tom Dooley", an American folk song, "Rattlin' Roarin' Willie" and "Willy O'Winsbury" from the Scottish tradition, as well as their own compositions like Moynihan's "Standing on the Shore". Their two recorded albums are Sweeney's Men and The Tracks of Sweeney.

Andy Irvine left the band in 1968, spent some time in Eastern Europe and was replaced by Henry McCullough. This line-up only stayed together for a year, however, and then broke up. There was almost a reunion in 1970 or 71, with Ashley Hutchings replacing McCullough, but this never happened.

Following the break-up of Sweeney's Men, three of the members took part in other notable bands:

Andy Irvine (born Andrew Kennedy Irvine, 14 June 1942, in St John's Wood, North West London): Patrick Street, Planxty, solo career
Johnny Moynihan: Planxty, De Dannan, solo career and with Anne Briggs and Andy McNamara
Terry Woods: Steeleye Span, The Pogues

Founder member Joe Dolan (born Joseph Frncis Robert Dolan, 16 October 1943, in Mullinger, West Meath, Eire died on 7 January 2008).

Andy Irvine and Johnny Moynihan were re-united for a one-off gig as Sweeney's Men in Rostrevor, Co Down on 22nd July 2007, when the band was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the local Fiddler's Green Festival; Joe Dolan was unable to participate due to illness, Paul Brady deputising.