Davy Spillane

Davy Spillane, a founding member of the progressive Celtic folk-rock band Moving Hearts, helped elevate the traditional sounds of Ireland to contemporary standards. After the group disbanded in 1986, he has continued developing fresh musical approaches while remaining rooted in earlier conventions.

Spillane began performing in his early teens. He first took up the tin whistle as a child before switching to the Uilleann pipes at age thirteen or fourteen and regularly joining weekly sessions at nearby pubs. He played a lead piping role in a gypsy band for the 1974 film Traveller.

After settling in County Clare, Spillane immersed himself in the Doolin music scene. Donal Lunny and Christy Moore invited him to join their experimental folk-rock band Moving Hearts, an offer he accepted. Although the group underwent frequent personnel shifts, Spillane stayed central to its sound throughout its five-year existence.

Soon after Moving Hearts ended, he released his debut solo album, Atlantic Bridge. Teaming with American players such as Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, and Albert Lee, he used the project to highlight ties between Celtic music and bluegrass. Spillane later issued two further solo albums, Shadow Hunter and Pipedreams, plus Out of the Air with the Davy Spillane Band. In 1991 he partnered with ex-Bothy Band guitarist and vocalist Andy Irvine on the tradition-rooted album East Wind. His first major-label release, A Place Among the Stones, appeared in 1998 and featured guest vocals by Marie Brennan of Clannad and Steve Winwood.

A busy session musician, Spillane has performed and recorded with artists including Kate Bush, Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, and Emmylou Harris. In 1998 he toured with Canadian rocker Bryan Adams. He also opened his own facility, Burrenstone Studios, in Dublin.