[2] In 1969, 14 year old Barry Moore embarked on a tour supporting his eldest brother, Christy, at various English folk clubs.

He chose the name "Luka" from the title of Suzanne Vega's song about child abuse and "Bloom" from the main character in James Joyce's novel Ulysses.

In 1991, Bloom returned to Dublin to record The Acoustic Motorbike, which included a cover version of LL Cool J's "I Need Love".

In 1993, Bloom again returned to Ireland to record the album Turf, this time with producer Brian Masterson and sound engineer Paul Ashe-Browne.

The album attempted to capture the sound of a live performance, and was recorded in front of an audience that was asked to remain as quiet as possible.

[2] Bloom's early albums showcased his frenetic strumming style (once described as "stadium rock for the bedroom"), including "Delirious", the debut track on Riverside, and his penchant for thoughtful cover songs, an affinity that he maintains even in more recent work.

Released in 2000, Keeper of the Flame was an album of cover versions featuring renditions of ABBA's "Dancing Queen", Bob Marley's "Natural Mystic", and the Hunters and Collectors' "Throw Your Arms Around Me", among others.

In February 2008, Bloom released a DVD titled The Man is Alive, featuring footage filmed in Dublin and at his home in Kildare, a question and answer session with fans, the documentary My Name is Luka, and a CD of music taken from the two performances.