[1]: 65 The name 'Sweeney's Men' was inspired by Dolan's reading of Flann O'Brien's comic novel At Swim-Two-Birds, which depicts the mad, anti-religious, tree-leaping pagan King Sweeney of Antrim.
After playing with Sweeney's Men at the Cambridge Folk Festival, McCullough left in July 1968 to join Joe Cocker's Grease Band, and was briefly replaced by Al O'Donnell[1]: 81 (born Alastair Noel O'Donnell, 8 December 1943, Harold's Cross, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland, died 3 September 2015, Rathdrum, County Wicklow, Ireland).
A new Irish-English folk super-group was almost formed in 1970, with Moynihan, Irvine (now back from his travels), Woods and his wife Gay, plus Ashley Hutchings joining on bass, but this never happened.
[6] Irvine and Moynihan were re-united for a one-off gig as Sweeney's Men in Rostrevor, County Down on 22 July 2007, when the band was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the local Fiddler's Green Festival; Dolan was unable to participate due to illness, so Paul Brady agreed to deputise.
Their play list included some new songs as well as old standards, in performances that demonstrated that they retain their old vitality and virtuosity across a wide range of instruments.
Irvine's interaction with Moynihan's bouzouki playing initially, and then with Lunny's up to and including Planxty, consolidated this contrapuntal approach.