Legend Arty McGlynn made the guitar a cornerstone of Irish traditional music
PIONEERING Omagh guitarist Arty McGlynn has passed away at the age of 75.
During a long career he became well-known for his original guitar work and collaborating with artists like Van Morrison, Enya, Planxty, Four Men and a Dog and his wife, fiddle player Nollaig Casey.
McGlynn played guitar on Sir Van’s critically acclaimed and commercially successful 1989 album Avalon Sunset.
He also played on 1983’s Inarticulate Speech of the Heart and 1995’s Days Like This.
McGlynn was born into a musical family in Omagh in 1944 and quickly became involved in performing.
After initially learning the accordion, he was gifted a guitar by his mother at the age of 11.
He was playing professionally with bands by his mid-teens and eventually went on the road touring with various musicians in the 1960s and 70s.
McGlynn was also in demand as a session musician for recordings with various artists.
His 1979 album ‘McGlynn’s Fancy’ is widely credited with bringing the guitar into the mainstream of Irish traditional music.
It led to greater prominence on the Irish musical scene and
McGlynn became in-demand among traditional and folk musicians. He also worked with names like Christy Moore, Frances Black, Paul Brady and John Carty.
McGlynn’s collaboration with wife Nollaig led to two well-received albums — Lead the Knave and Causeway — and their music was featured on the soundtracks for films Moondance and Hear My Song.
In the wake of the 1998 Omagh bombing, in which 29 people died including a woman pregnant with twins, McGlynn was one of a number of local artists to perform at a concert to raise funds for the victims.
He was presented with a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to music by Irish language channel TG4 in 2016.
McGlynn is survived by wife Nollaig, two daughters and three sons.