Music legend Dónal Lunny to be buried in Kildare
The beloved trad music artist initially rose to prominence in The Rakes of Kildare band alongside Christy Moore and his brother Frank
The late musician Dónal Lunny is due to be laid to rest in County Kildare this weekend.
Last weekend, a post on his Facebook page confirmed that that the beloved artist died in St James’s Hospital in County Dublin on the morning of Friday, October 23 last.
His cause of death was cancer.
And now, it has been revealed on RIP.ie that Lunny, who is also well-known for his work with bands such as Planxty, Moving Hearts and The Rakes of Kildare (alongside Christy Moore and his brother Frank), will be buried in Newbridge.
According to the notice, which was also posted as Gaeilge: “Dónal’s funeral will be in St Conleth’s Parish Church in Newbridge (W12 KT38) on Saturday, October 31, 2026.”
LIMITED CAPACITY
The notice included a number of requests from Lunny’s family.
The first read: “Dónal’s family would be very grateful if well-wishers and fans would join them in remembering him by watching the funeral ceremony at 11am via the live stream instead, as capacity in the church is limited to family and close friends.”
Following this, his family also said that they would like to ‘encourage people throughout the world (including the moon!) to play and share music with friends and family this weekend’, in order to celebrate ‘the joy and connection that Dónal’s music brought to so many’.
Lastly, the late musician’s family said: “Please feel free to share your words and music using the hashtag #donallunnyfleadh.”
In addition, those who wish to pay tribute to Lunny’s memory can do so by signing a public book of condolences at The Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge (W12 D962) or Kildare County Council’s Offices (W12 X77F).
Condolences can be left online on RIP.ie.