thin lizzy phil lynott

Certainly the first, and some would argue the greatest, Irish rock band, Thin Lizzy left behind a powerful and glorious legacy that cannot be ignored by any Irish person who has ever felt the need to strap on a guitar.

Phil Lynott wrote songs that were populated by loners, wild west heroes, movie stars, rockers and warriors from a misty Celtic era. And Lizzy the band, provided the perfect setting for his tales of woe and wonder. Theirs was a tuneful, fluid music spiked and unabashed romanticism, lyrical in the prime sense of the word. Openness and versatility were their trademark. Steeped in both rock and traditional, they were capable of acid rock and folksy tunes with equal facility, moving through power rock riffing into delicate acoustic motifs and wild, mystical departures in the style of Hendrix. When they got it just right (and they regularly did) they were the perfect marriage of bardic poetry and spandex pants.

Formed by a group of school friends from Dublin's northside in the very early seventies, Thin Lizzy first laid waste to audiences throughout Ireland before going on to conquer Britain.