Christy Moore

Christy Moore is Ireland's premier singer-songwriter. For over four decades, his ability to capture in song the essence of the moment has kept him at the top of a profession where change is permanent.

Christy Moore as a man and as a musician is always relevant to the times. His immense popularity has remained constant - generations of new fans have enjoyed his exceptionally powerful live performances. This year, Christy is busy touring throughout Ireland and Europe.

Christy began his career as a regular on the Manchester folk club circuit in 1967 but it was his 1970 album Prosperous, recorded with Andy Irvine, Donal Lunny and Liam O'Flynn that was a milestone in the rapprochement of Irish music to the popular mainstream. The following year, the four men formed the seminal band Planxty. The group recorded five albums and toured extensively in the 70s. They reformed in recent years and have continued to record. The 1970s also saw Christy form the band Moving Hearts with collaborator Donal Lunny.

In the following decade Christy began to establish himself as one of Ireland's leading solo artists with a string of acclaimed albums and high-profile tours. His 1994 album Live at the Point captured the intimate strength and power of his live performance. In 2001 he formed a highly successful collaboration with Declan Sinnott and they have continued to record and perform together.

Christy's writing skills found another outlet in his memoir One Voice: My Life in Song, an autobiography woven around 250 songs. It is a sublime work.

Social commentary has always been a feature of Christy's work. His powerful lyricism has evoked the spirit of political struggle in Ireland, Europe, the Middle East and South America. His work is characterised by an empathetic understanding of the plight of the oppressed, and by a desire to give a voice to the voiceless.

Today, 40 years after his musical career began, Christy continues to entrance countless fans with his driving rhythms and zeitgeist lyricism.

For decades of exceptional contribution to Irish music, Christy Moore is named Ireland's Greatest Living Musician.