RTÉ to air new documentary on life of Tullamore-born music legend
This coming Monday (August 10), RTÉ will air a new documentary on the life of the Irish folk and traditional music legend Dónal Lunny, who was born in Tullamore.
The programme, In Time, will explore the contribution to Irish culture and music of a man Bono described as "Ireland's answer to Quincy Jones".
The documentary is the first film account to examine the life of the musician and producer, and his unique contributions to Irish culture and music.
A key figure in the folk revival of the 1970’s, Lunny brought Irish traditional and folk music to a global audience.
The 79-year-old was a founding member of such influential groups as Planxty, Moving Hearts, Mozaik and The Bothy Band, and worked with the likes of Elvis Costello, U2, Van Morrison, Sinéad O’Connor, Paul Brady, Baaba Maal, Kate Bush and more.
Last year, he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards in Dublin.
A son of Frank Lunny, from Enniskillen, and Mary Rogers, from Donegal, he was born in Tullamore in 1947 and spent the first few years of his life there.
In a 2008 interview with the Irish Independent, Lunny said he still retained memories from his earliest days in Offaly.
"I was born in Tullamore and we stayed there until I was five, when the family moved to Newbridge. But I still have early memories from our time in Offaly," he stated.
"In my earliest memory, I was about a year-and-a-half old and was standing in the backyard of our house in Tullamore, holding a ginger nut biscuit, when a rooster stomped straight up to me, looked me in the eye and snapped the biscuit out of my hand. I was absolutely traumatised.
"And I have a very clear memory from when I was about four and a big gang of local kids had commandeered a rickety old boat and we were sailing it down the canal, all the weeds and the water pouring in through the holes. We thought we were pirate captains."
* 'In Time' airs on airs Monday, August 10, at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.