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Moore, Christy. (1945– ). Singer, songwriter. Born in Newbridge, Co. Kildare, to Andy Moore from that town, and Neans de Paor of Yellow Furze, Navan. From his mother he learned to sing, and became absorbed in rock ’n’ roll initially, then was deeply moved by the Clancy Brothers. He learned guitar in 1961 from Dónal Lunny, and while still in his teens he formed with him a duo, The Rakes of Kildare. He worked briefly in the Bank of Ireland, but left during the strike of 1966 to tour folk clubs in England, during his stay there recording his first album, Paddy on the Road, with Dominic Behan as producer. Out of Ireland he was influenced by music heard in pubs in Fulham, Camden Town, Cricklewood, Moss Side, Glasgow and Blairgowrie. Singers John Reilly, Luke Kelly, Ewan MacColl, Martin Carthy, Hamish Imlach, Joe Heaney and Annie Briggs also influenced him.
Planxty. He returned to Ireland in 1971, and recorded Prosperous, released in 1972. With three of the musicians who played on that album – Liam O’Flynn, Dónal Lunny and Andy Irvine – he formed the group Planxty, the most popular band of the 1970s. When they split in 1975 he pursued a solo career; they re-formed in 1978, but within a few years Moore and Lunny had left to form Moving Hearts. He left after that band’s second album and developed a successful solo career, playing to huge audiences at home and abroad. An uncompromisingly political singer, Moore has espoused such causes as the Carnsore Point antinuclear protest, H-Block hunger strikes and the lot of the ordinary worker. His lyrics are intense, rhythmical in a ‘talking blues’ style, and when not (as sometimes), bitingly sarcastic, moralistic, sentimental or angry, can radiate an intense humorous understatement. Other members of the Moore family are involved in music. Brother Barry performs as ‘Luka Bloom’, nephew Conor Byrne plays flute (album Wind Dancer).
recordings. Moore performed on all of Planxty’s recordings and on Moving Hearts (1982) and The Dark End of the Street (1982) with Moving Hearts. By 2009 he had recorded twenty-six solo albums, as well as six with Planxty and two with Moving Hearts. Although Moore retired from public performance in 1998, like many others he returns to the stage intermittently. In 1994 Hummingbird recorded Christy, a documentary for RTÉ on his life and music, and another, Live at the Point, in 2006. His choice of songs, including his own lyrics, are recorded in Frank Connolly’s 1984 The Christy Moore Songbook, and his own autobiographical One Voice in 2000.

John Oliver Moran (1 January 1933–27 May 2017) was born in Killarney and grew up in Cahirsiveen. His father was chief veterinary officer for Munster. Oliver qualified as a solicitor, worked in Rhodesia, returned to Ireland and worked there as a qualified town planner. He was the youngest of a singing family of five, but didn't play an instrument. He was unmarried.

Robin Morton was born in Portadown, Co. Armagh. A singer, writer, publisher, collector, band manager, Morton also played the concertina and bodhrán with the band Boys of the Lough which he formed in 1967 along with musicians Cathal McConnell and Tommy Gunn. He founded the Queen’s Folk Music Society, which met in the famous Anatomy Theater, Belfast, with superb acoustics but intimidating anatomical visuals. Belfast Folk Song Club, Morton was also a member. He began collecting songs in the 1960s, Paddy McMahon introduced him to singer John (Jock) Maguire of Roslea, who became the subject of Morton’s Come Day, Go Day, God Send Sunday, a book and LP of John Maguire and his songs. Morton worked as a producer for Topic Records before founding the record label Temple Records in 1978. He is married to clarsach player Alison Kinnaird.