Andrew Kennedy Irvine (born 14 June 1942), known as Andy Irvine, is a British-born, Irish-based folk musician, singer-songwriter, and a founding member of such popular bands as Sweeney's Men, Planxty, Patrick Street, Mozaik, LAPD and Usher's Island. He plays the mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, harmonica and hurdy-gurdy. Irvine has been influential in folk music for over five decades, during which he recorded a large repertoire of songs and tunes he assembled from books, old recordings and folk-song collectors rooted in the Irish, English, Scottish, Eastern European, Australian and American old-time and folk traditions. Imbued with a sense of social justice, Irvine often selects or writes songs that are based on historical events and presented from the victim's perspective.
In 1962, when his two-year contract with the BBC's 'Rep' ended, Irvine moved to Dublin and continued earning a living as an actor for a while, playing at The Olympia, The Gaiety, The Gate and The Eblana. He also performed at the Pike Theatre, where he played the role of Jerry as one of only two actors in Edward Albee's The Zoo Story, and where he also appeared as Tethra (the Irish god of war) in Moytura by Padraic Colum, during the Dublin Theatre Festival in 1963. In late 1963, he had a part in a few episodes of Down at Flannery's, a forerunner of the popular RTE soapTolka Row in which he appeared for five episodes in the role of Jim "Beardie" Toomey, the boyfriend of Laurie Morton's character, Peggy Kinnear. One of his last acting performances was at the Olympia Theatre on 28 September 1964 as Sir Peregrine in Sir Buccaneer, a musical by G.P. Gallivan. However, he very quickly noticed that a burgeoning folk scene was emerging, centred around the Baggot Street-Merrion quarter of Dublin's city centre. "As soon as I found my feet there, I thought, 'That's it, goodbye acting!'". After discovering Irish music through Seamus Ennis on Peter Kennedy's BBC programme As I Roved Out and through Ciaran Mac Mathuna on Raidio Eireann, Irvine studiously spent many hours at the National Library, scouring old songbooks like the Child Ballads and Sam Henry's Songs of the People, as well as A.L. Lloyd's Penguin Book of English Folk Songs. He also drew inspiration from Ewan MacColl, notably the songs he wrote for his radio-ballads. Gravitating around Paddy and Maureen O'Donoghue's Pub, Irvine met like-minded people such as Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly and Barney McKenna, who would later form The Dubliners. Decades later, he recorded "O'Donoghue's"--released on the album Changing Trains (2004)--a song of eleven verses in which he vividly recalls these happy times, naming many of the people who were part of his transition from actor to folk musician.

Q: Why did andy move to dublin?
A: In 1962, when his two-year contract with the BBC's 'Rep' ended, Irvine moved to Dublin and continued earning a living as an actor for a while,

Q: What songs did he release?
A: "O'Donoghue's

Q: Can you give me some information?
A: He also performed at the Pike Theatre, where he played the role of Jerry as one of only two actors in Edward Albee's The Zoo Story,

Q: What is the burgeoning folk scene?
A: unknown

Q: Who did he meet?
A: Ronnie Drew, Luke Kelly and Barney McKenna,
What did he do at this time?
Decades later, he recorded "O'Donoghue's"--released on the album Changing Trains (2004)-- Decades later, he recorded "O'Donoghue's"-- spent many hours at the National Library, scouring old songbooks like the Child Ballads and Sam Henry's Songs of the People,
spent many hours at the National Library, scouring old songbooks like the Child Ballads and Sam Henry's Songs of the People,