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 eight strings are 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, all the members took part in other notable bands:

• Andy Irvine: Patrick Street, Planxty, solo career
• Johnny Moynihan: Planxty, De Danann, solo career and with Anne Briggs and Andy McNamara
• Terry Woods: Steeleye Span, The Pogues