Biography
Christopher Andrew “Christy” Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was one of the founding members of the bands Planxty and Moving Hearts and has had significant success as a solo artist. His first album, Paddy on the Road, was recorded with Dominic Behan in 1969. Moore is best known for his political and social commentary and left-wing, Irish republican views. In 2007, he was named as Ireland's greatest living musician in RTÉ's People of the Year Awards. Moore is most known for his unique style, including driving rhythms on six-string acoustic guitar and bodhrán as well as slower ballads.
In 1973 his first major release, Prosperous, brought together the four musicians who shortly after formed Planxty: Liam O'Flynn, Andy Irvine and Dónal Lunny. For a time, they called themselves “CLAD”, an acronym of their names, but soon decided on Planxty.
After leaving Planxty in 1975,… Moore continued his solo career, occasionally reforming his old band (as he has been doing ever since). He also formed the band Moving Hearts with Lunny and five other musicians in 1980. In 1987, he appeared on Gay Byrne's The Late Late Show performing with The Dubliners for their 25th anniversary celebration. In 2000 he published his autobiography, One Voice.
Moore's earlier lifestyle resulted in a decline in health and several operations. He had a heart attack in the 1980s. His battle with alcohol and subsequent heart operations took their toll, and at the end of the 1990s Moore reduced his workload for medical reasons. In an interview in 1991, he admitted that constant drinking, which had started as “great fun”, had become an illness. Some of Moore's songs were heavily influenced by drink and the effects of drink, the song “Delirium Tremens” being an example. Johnny Mulhern's song “Hard Cases” caused Moore to recall the Galway drinking scene with local musicians Mickey Finn, Pete Galligan, Corky and Terry Smith.
On 17 April 2009, Moore released his first new studio album in four years, entitled Listen, and promoted it through a series of live gigs. In December 2011 he released the album Folk Tale. His next album, Where I Come From, was released in November 2013 and featured a new protest song called “Arthur's Day”. The album peaked at number three in the Irish album charts. On the road was released in November 2017, Magic Nights was released in November 2019, and his most recent album, A Terrible Beauty, was released in November 2024.
In March 2025, in his 80th year, Moore began a three-month, sold-out, 18-date tour of Ireland. In an interview in October 2024, he said he rehearsed for hours most days and prepared carefully for each gig, an average of one a week. “After each performance I go home and spend a week preparing for the next one”. He recalled that in his early career he had once played 67 nights in succession.
On 31 December 2025, Irish Traditional Music Archive (ITMA) and TG4 released Cartlann Christy Moore, a documentary on his career, featuring Michael D. Higgins, Radie Peat, DJ Próvaí, and other influential figures.
1Songs
| Song | Year | Records |
|---|---|---|
| The Voyage | 1999 |
|