What is "planxty"

Planxty \Planx"ty\, n. [Cf. L. plangere to mourn aloud.] (Mus.) An Irish or Welsh melody for the harp, sometimes of a mournful character.

in Irish music, "harp tune of a sportive and animated character" [OED], 1790, of unknown origin, evidently not a native Irish word; some suggest ultimate derivation from Latin plangere "to strike, beat" (see plague (n.)). See also [Katrin Thier, "Of Picts and Penguins -- Celtic Languages in the New Edition of the OED," in "The Celtic Languages in Contact," 2007.

n. An Irish or Welsh melody for the harp, sometimes of a mournful character.

Planxty is an Irish folk music band formed in January 1972, consisting initially of Christy Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán), Andy Irvine (vocals, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica), Dónal Lunny ( bouzouki, guitars, bodhrán, keyboards), and Liam O'Flynn ( uilleann pipes, tin whistle). They quickly revolutionized and popularized Irish folk music, touring and recording to great acclaim.

Subsequently, Johnny Moynihan, Paul Brady, Matt Molloy ( flute), Bill Whelan ( keyboards), Nollaig Casey ( fiddle) and, briefly, Noel Hill ( concertina) and Tony Linnane (fiddle) were also temporary members.

Planxty broke up twice, first in December 1975 and again in April 1983. The original quartet reunited in October 2003 and their final performance (to date) was on 31 January 2005.

Planxty is the first album by the Irish folk group Planxty, recorded in London during early September 1972 and released in early 1973.