Andy Irvine’s unique musical instruments go missing in baggage chaos at Dublin Airport

World-renowned traditional musician Andy Irvine has lost two of his musical instruments worth €16,000 while travelling from Dublin Airport.

Irvine, who turned 80 last month, flew to the Skagen Folk Festival in Denmark on June 29th. He took three flights to get there flying from Dublin to Frankfurt on Lufthansa, then Frankfurt to Copenhagen and on to Aalborg with SAS.

The specially built guitar-bouzouki and a mandola have accompanied Irvine many times around the world. They were custom-made for him by instrument maker Stefan Sobell in Northumberland. He has played them on multiple records which set benchmarks for Irish traditional music including Planxty, Patrick Street and his solo material.

The mandola is in a distinctive white case. The guitar-bouzouki case is made by Hiscox. He hopes that if the mandola case is found, the guitar-bouzouki case will be next to it.

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Irvine noticed the instruments were missing when he got to Aalborg and had to borrow from others for his performances there.

“I was able to play at the festival, but not to my own satisfaction,” he said. “The instruments I was lent were similar but inferior. I had to amend the accompaniments.

“They are top quality after a career of nearly 60 years. They are the best instruments of their type that you could come across.”

Irvine said losing instruments was an “occupational hazard” for musicians, but he usually gets them back within a couple of days.

“These instruments have not even been traced yet, so we don’t know where they are. They could be on a world tour of their own.”

Irvine celebrated his 80th birthday last month with a sold out concert at Vicar Street on June 20th featuring many Irish folk scene luminaries such as Paul Brady, Dónal Lunny, Paddy Glackin and John Doyle.

“That was the last time I played them. I need them back for a concert tour I am playing with Paul Brady.”

Irvine said he was not surprised that the instruments went missing as there was chaos at all the airports he passed through on his way to Aalborg. He said the instruments could be at any of the airports he passed through, but he suspects they are probably still at Dublin Airport and appealed to any baggage handlers there to be get in touch with him about it.

Dublin Airport has said baggage is the responsibility of the airlines and not the airport.

Last week a public appeal by a YouTuber to recover his €12,500 trike ended in it being recovered from terminal security by a baggage handler.

[ YouTuber relieved after Dublin Airport baggage handler finds tricycle ]

Matt Galat, who vlogs under the name JaYoe, made a public appeal through social media and The Irish Times to recover his AZUB recumbent trike which he last saw go into the oversized baggage carousel at Dublin Airport for a WestJet flight to Calgary on June 23rd.