In 2002, Hynes received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Memorial University in St. John's in recognition of his original songwriting and his contribution to the cultural heritage of Newfoundland.

Widely regarded as one of Canada's premier singer-songwriters with a career spanning over 30 years, Hynes' songs have become part of the fabric of Newfoundland culture.

Hynes narrated two audiobooks for Rattling Books, Hard Light: 32 Little Stories by Michael Crummey[5] and Death on the Ice by Cassie Brown.

[6] He also had occasional acting roles, including in the films The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood, Secret Nation, Anchor Zone, Violet and The Bingo Robbers, and the television series Dooley Gardens and Emily of New Moon.

A documentary on Hynes, entitled Man of a Thousand Songs and directed by William D. MacGillivray, debuted at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.

[13] The 2023 tribute album Sonny Don't Go Away featured versions of Hynes's songs performed by artists such as Tim Baker, Alan Doyle, The Once, Fortunate Ones, Amelia Curran, The Ennis Sisters, Rum Ragged, Matthew Byrne, The Dardanelles and Kellie Loder.