Irvine was natural within London to Irish/Scots parents. As a little one he took to acting, however gave it higher whilst he reached adolescence. He exposed authoritative guitar, however forsook it for the traditional method upon discovering Lonnie Donegan and the Skiffle boom of the 50s, and late Woody Guthrie.

In the 1960s he found himself around Dublin, and began an itinerant life of the musician. He noticed musical influences in the likes of Ewan MacColl (notably the songs he wrote for his radio-ballads), and a Child Ballads. There he met Johnny Moynihan, by using whom he formed a musical partnership, which, with the addition of Joe Dolan, turned into Sweeney's Men in 1966. A year late Dolan departed, & was replaced using Terry Woods (later of Steeleye Span and The Pogues). When recording many singles & an album Irvine left the b&, and headed to Eastern Europe (he late wrote a song just about his lives there: "Baneasa's Green Galde", which was recorded years late by Planxty).

Whenever he returned to Dublin, Sweeney's Men was breaking higher, & a music scene experienced changed. He met Donal Lunny, and played using him awhile, however he had his large break whilst Christy Moore, an established musician within the folk music scene, decided to record his number 1 album in Dublin. Among a musicians he chose to perform were Irvine, Lunny, & uilleann piper Liam O'Flynn. A album, Prosperous, was released as an album by Moore, however a quatern musicians thenceforth formed Planxty.

the class action was an instant profits, signing a half a dozen record contract & touring throughout Europe. It played mostly traditional songs & tunes, however many were Irvine compositions, making him a single composer of the band. When 2 albums Lunny left a class action, & was replaced by Moynihan. When the third album together Moore departed & was replaced by Paul Brady, however before long Planxty broke higher, substantially around debt.

Irvine continued to play by owning Brady, & briefly by having De Dannan (he soon left due to programming conflicts). However by 1978 Christy Moore was ready to reform the original Planxty lineup, complete sustaining Lunny, world health organization brought along flautist Matt Molloy from The Bothy Band. Planxty over agaaround broke higher in 1982, & Irvine gathered the collection of musicians from either throughout Europe & formed Mosiac, who were short-passing.

Inside 1985 Irvine joined up sustaining fiddler Kevin Burke, guitarist/vocalist Gerry O'Beirne and accordionist Jackie Daly. Originally billed in an U.s. tour when "The Legends of Irish Music", it shortly chose to call for themselves Patrick Street. A lineup for the b& underwent many changes, however universally involved Irvine, Burke, and Daly. In agreement to as a "part time" band, it nonetheless recorded sevener studio albums together.

Partial discography
Solo
Showery Sundays, Windy Dreams (1980) Uncivil Waking up (1991) Way Above Yon (2001) Rain on the Rooftop (2003)

With Planxty
Planxty (1973) A Easily Following a Vale (1973) Cold Blow & a Showery Nighttime (1974) Fallowing a Break (1979) A Woman I personally Loved Thus Swell (1980) Words & Music (1983)

With Patrick Street
Patrick Street There is no. Two Patrick Street Irish Times Dead Proficient Time Cornerboys Manufactured inside Cork Street Life

With Sweeney's Men
''Sweeney's Men (1968)

With Davy Spillane
Easterly (1993)

With Dick Gaughan
Parallel Lines (1983)

With Paul Brady
Andy Irvine & Paul Brady'' (1976)