Sweeney's Men was an Irish traditional band. They were a part of the late 1… Read Full Bio ↴Sweeney's Men was an Irish traditional band. They were a part of the late 1960s Irish roots revival, along with groups like The Dubliners and The Clancy Brothers. Their line-up in 1966 was Joe Dolan (1942 – 2008), Johnny Moynihan and Andy Irvine, but Dolan was replaced by Terry Woods only a year later. At the time, they played the tin whistle, concertina, harmonica, guitar, mandolin, banjo and bouzouki.

Sweeney's Men's most famous innovation is probably Moynihan's introduction of the bouzouki, a Greek instrument, in 1967. The bouzouki played at the time was six-stringed, though the Irish bouzouki with eight strings is now more common in Irish music.

Their songs included "Tom Dooley", an American folk song, "Rattlin' Roarin' Willie" and "Willy O'Winsbury" from the Scottish tradition, as well as their own compositions like Moynihan's "Standing on the Shore". Their two recorded albums are Sweeney's Men and The Tracks of Sweeney.

Andy Irvine left the band in 1968, spent some time in Eastern Europe and was replaced by Henry McCullough (1943 – 2016). This line-up only stayed together for a year, however, and then broke up in 1969. There was almost a reunion in 1970 or 71, with Ashley Hutchings replacing McCullough, but this never happened.

Following the break-up of Sweeney's Men, three of the members took part in other notable bands:

Andy Irvine: Patrick Street, Planxty, solo career
Johnny Moynihan: Planxty, De Dannan, solo career and with Anne Briggs and Andy McNamara
Terry Woods: Steeleye Span, The Pogues

Andy Irvine and Johnny Moynihan were re-united for a one-off gig as Sweeney's Men in Rostrevor, Co Down on 22nd July 2007, when the band was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the local Fiddler's Green Festival; Joe Dolan was unable to participate due to illness, Paul Brady deputising. Founder member Joe Dolan died on January 7, 2008.

Irvine, Moynihan and Woods played together once again on 16 & 17 June 2012, as part of Irvine's 70th Birthday party concerts at Vicar Street in Dublin, a dozen tracks from the shows were released by Irvine as a live album. It worked so well that they gigged again in Ireland later in 2012 and also played five full-house gigs in Galway, Kilkenny, Cork, Dublin and Limerick during November 2013.

Dance to Your Daddy
Sweeney's Men Lyrics

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Dance to your Daddy, my little laddy
Dance to your Daddy, my little man
Thou shalt have a fish and thou shalt have a fin
Thou shalt have a codlin when the boat comes in
Thou shalt have haddock baked in a pan
Dance to your Daddy, my little man

Dance to your Daddy, my little laddie

Dance to your Daddy, my little man
When thou art a young boy, you must sing and play
Go along the shore and cast your shells away
Build yourself a castle, watch the tide roll in
Dance to your Daddy, my little man.

Dance to your Daddy, my little laddie
Dance to your Daddy, my little man
When thou art a young man, go unto the trades
Find yourself a skill, and wages you'll be paid
Then with all your wages, buy yourself some land
Dance to your Daddy, my little man

Dance to your Daddy, my little laddie
Dance to your Daddy, my little man
When thou art a man and go to take a wife
Find yourself a lass and love her all your life
She shall be your wife and thou shalt be her man
Dance to your Daddy, my little man

Dance to your Daddy, my little laddie
Dance to your Daddy, my little man
When thou art an old man, father to a son
Sing to him the old songs, sing of all you've done

Pass along the old ways, then let his song begin
Dance to your Daddy, my little man

Overall Meaning

The song "Dance To Your Daddy" by Sweeney's Men is a traditional English folk song that has been popular for generations. The song serves as a lullaby to a young boy, offering him advice for every stage of his life. In the first verse, the father promises his son that he will provide for him by giving him fish and codlin. The father encourages his son to enjoy his childhood by playing along the shore, building castles, and watching the tide roll in.

As the boy grows older, the father advises him to find a trade and earn wages, and eventually, to find a wife and love her for life. The song ends with the father advising his son to pass along the "old ways" to his own son and let his song begin. The song is both heartwarming and instructive, offering a glimpse into the advice that fathers have passed along to their sons for generations.

Overall, the song "Dance To Your Daddy" is a beautiful representation of traditional English folk music. The song's lyrics are simple but meaningful and serve as a reminder of the importance of family, hard work, and tradition.

Dance to Your DaddySweeney's Men Lyrics

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Dance to Your Daddy
Sweeney's Men Lyrics