For over four decades Finbar Furey has shaped the course of Irish music. As the Fureys’ frontman and uilleann-pipes player alongside brothers Eddie, Paul, and George, he steered the band’s influential path through traditional repertoire. Departing the group in 1993 to begin a solo career, Furey sustained that profile with a forthright take on the music of his homeland.
Born in Dublin’s Coombe area, he moved at five to Ballyfermot, where music filled the household. Father Ted, a horse dealer, performed on fiddle and pipes, while his mother handled melodeon and five-string banjo. By 1958 the two brothers were joining their father for informal sessions at O’Donoghue’s Bar. Finbar soon distinguished himself, securing three all-Ireland uilleann-pipes titles and claiming the world championship in 1964. With Eddie he captured top honors across the main, pub, and street categories at the 1961 Tralee International Festival.
The pair emigrated to Scotland in 1966 and quickly established themselves in folk clubs, colleges, and universities across Britain and Europe. Their pivotal opportunity arrived in 1969 when they opened for the Clancy Brothers’ American tour; strong audience reaction elevated them to headline status, prompting Paul and George to join. Furey exited the ensemble in 1993 for solo work. His first album under his own name, The Wind and the Rain, appeared in 1997, followed a year later by a reissue of the 1969 set Traditional Irish Pipe Music. The seasonal collection We Dreamed Our Dreams: A Celebration of St. Patrick’s Day surfaced in early 2001. Subsequent years brought acting roles in Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York (2002) and the Irish features Adam & Paul (2004) and Strength and Honour (2007). He maintained an active touring schedule, issuing the solo album No Farewells, No Goodbyes in 2007 and Colours in 2011. On the 2013 Irish talent program The Hit he recorded “The Last Great Love Song,” which took first place and reached the top of the Irish charts. In 2018 he returned with the solo release Don’t Stop This Now, issued alongside a live DVD recorded at a 2017 Dublin concert.
