“This is a song about a Scottish prince who loved dressing up as a beggar and getting off with young ones.”
Who knew the subject matter the legendary Planxty sung was about was so damn kinky?
Planxty formed in 1972 when a young Kildare troubadour by the name of Christy Moore hand-picked a band of musicians skilful enough to accompany him on his second album, Prosperous.
The rest, as they say, is history – they would go on to become one of the most influential folk bands in history, the first band to combine guitar, bouzouki, mandolin and uileann pipes to create a definitively trad sound that we now take for granted.
So yes, you can probably thank/blame (delete as applicable) them for Mumford & Sons.
In fact, just like Mumford, BBC Radio 1 were quick to jump on board with Planxty in the 70s. The legendary DJ John Peel was the first to play them on UK radio and he remained a lifelong supporter of their music.
Now a new retrospective DVD/CD, ‘Between The Jigs and The Reels’, showcases previously unreleased footage from the RTÉ archives of the band in all their dishevelled pomp.
It’s due for release on 28 October; the songs are handpicked by the band and features folk classics like Arthur McBride, The Cliffs of Dooneen and Raggle Taggle Gypsy.
It also features this version of The Jolly Beggar, recorded in the The Abbey Tavern in Howth in 1980.
About this performance
The Abbey Tavern Planxty show was from a series of shows hosted by Christy Moore entitled ‘Christy Moore and Friends’ and was broadcast in six parts from 6 March 1980 with this Planxty episode first broadcast on 13 March 1980 from the Abbey Tavern in Howth.
The series featured an array of guests from the folk and trad scenes over six weeks.
Planxty performed 8 tracks as follows: The Good Ship Kangaroo, Three Slip Jigs, The Hackler from Grousehall, An Bonnán Buí / The West Wind, The Jolly Beggar, Sally Brown, Bean Pháidín/Rakish Paddy and The Ballad Of Little Musgrave.
The story of Planxty
Christy Moore’s first recruit to his all-star backing band was Dónal Lunny who was his schoolboy friend and a gifted multi-instrumentalist and arranger. He still accompanies Christy in his solo career.
Andy Irvine was a London-born socialist folk singer and a prominent figure in the O’Donoghue’s on Baggot Street trad scene which is as vibrant as ever today. He also co-ran ‘The Mug’s Gig’ folk club with Lunny in Slattery’s Pub on Capel Street.
The group was completed by master uileann piper and whistle player, Liam O’Flynn.
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