Strabane

Paul Brady (1947), who grew up in Strabane, the Northern Irish town in County Tyrone where my wife was born, is a contemporary of Christy Moore. The son of two teachers, he is a musical autodidact. In the 1960s and 70s, he was involved with two major defining bands: initially, he was a member of The Johnstons, with whom he recorded seven albums, later he replaced Christy Moore in Planxty. When the band broke up in 1975 (for the first time), he collaborated for a while with Andy Irvine, with whom he recorded an album that became legendary in Irish music history.

Brady worked with people like Eric Clapton, Carole King, Van Morrison, Sinéad O'Connor, Mark Knopfler, Bonnie Raitt, Tina Turner, and Bob Dylan. He humorously recounts in his memoirs how he once helped the American backstage to improve his finger positioning on the guitar.

Ierland - Peter Vandermeersch