The Chieftains

Musical Group

Forfans of celtic and traditional irish music; listeners who enjoy collaborations between folk and popular artists.
2 Reviews 0 Definitions 2 Charts

The Profile

The Chieftains are an Irish traditional music group formed in 1962 and long led by Paddy Moloney. They are known for instrumental mastery of Irish traditional forms and for high-profile collaborations.

The group recorded collaborative albums featuring many guest artists; reviews mention collaborations or guest appearances by Bono, Sting, Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Sinead O'Connor, Mark Knopfler and Ry Cooder. Their rendition of "Women Of Ireland" ("Mha Na Eireann") was used in the film Barry Lyndon (as noted in a review).

Two enthusiastic reviews praise The Chieftains' mastery of Irish traditional music and their warmth. One review highlights The Chieftains 4 and tracks like "Drowsy Maggie" and "Women Of Ireland." The other emphasizes The Long Black Veil and its high-profile collaborations. Both reviews rate the work highly.

Notable Quotes

❝ I saw the Chieftains and brought them the beers, but I didn't have the courage to play with His Majesty Paddy Moloney, Pride of Ireland, Captain among Captains, master of the uilleann pipes like no other.

❝ Paddy Moloney, the group's leader, wanted to entrust each artist with the task of interpreting an Irish traditional song in their own way, and the excellent results fuel the very successful trend of blending Celtic sounds with modern music, the same trend that has brought so much success particularly to Enya.