Christy Moore is an Irish folk singer-songwriter from Newbridge, Ireland, and a native of County Kildare. Born in 1945, he begins his music career in the mid-1960s after leaving work as a bank clerk during a bank strike and moving to England, where he joins the folk scene and spends several years playing pubs and clubs.

Career

Moore first comes to wider attention as a member of Planxty, the traditional folk group that becomes important in the revival of Irish traditional music. His return to Ireland is marked by Prosperous, an album that helps bring Irish music closer to the popular mainstream and brings together musicians including Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny and Liam O'Flynn. This collaboration leads to the formation of Planxty. The original lineup of Christy Moore, Andy Irvine, Liam O'Flynn and Donal Lunny later reforms in 1979 and records After the Break and The Woman I Loved So Well on Tara Records. The group’s later line-up changes include the addition of Matt Molloy and Bill Whelan. In 1981, Planxty performs Bill Whelan’s arrangement Timedance as the intermission piece for the Eurovision Song Contest in Ireland.

Solo work

After Planxty’s split in 1974, Moore continues as a solo performer and records a number of solo albums, including The Iron Behind the Velvet, which features Andy Irvine, and Live in Dublin, which features Donal Lunny. In the 1980s he establishes himself as one of Ireland’s leading solo artists with a series of acclaimed albums and high-profile tours. In the mid-1990s he takes a break from music for several years, then returns to live performance with a series of Dublin concerts in 2000. Later releases include a television series, a live album and a six-CD box set.

Moving Hearts

In the 1980s Moore and Donal Lunny form Moving Hearts, an ambitious Irish band that mixes jazz with folk-rock fusion.