caption current_members website years_active image_size article_title background genre image origin name
horslips -lrb- germany -rrb- performing at the 2014 blacksheep festival at bonfeld eamon o'connor ray fean -lrb- touring -rrb- carr barry devlin john fean jim lockhart charles -lsb- http://www.horslips.ie horslips.ie -rsb- 1970 -- 1980 2004 -- present -lrb- intermittent -rrb- 220 horslips
 group_or_band celtic rock , progressive rock blacksheep festival 2014 rs fr 1720.jpg dublin , ireland horslips
horslips

horslips are an irish celtic rock band that compose , arrange and perform songs frequently inspired by traditional irish airs , jigs and reels .
the group are regarded as ` founding fathers of celtic rock ' they formed in 1970 and ` retired ' in 1980 for an extended period .
the name originated from a spoonerism on the four horsemen of the apocalypse which became `` the four poxmen of the horslypse '' .
horslips were one of ireland 's leading rock groups of their era .
although they had limited commercial success in their own lifetime , there was a revival of interest in their music in the late 1990s and they came to be regarded as one of the defining bands of the celtic rock genre .
there have since been small scale reunions including appearances on `` the late late show '' and rtÉ 's `` other voices '' .
the band reformed for two irish shows in the odyssey arena in belfast and the o2 arena in dublin at the end of 2009 , and have continued to play shows since then .
