Irish Trad Music Blog

Paddy Moloney Joe Lawrence, Irish Independent TRADITIONAL Irish musician Paddy Moloney has been honoured with Mexico's highest cultural award. At a ceremony to mark the tribute, The Chieftains' founder hinted that Hollywood A-lister Liam Neeson is sizing up a new freedom-fighter film role. Moloney said his Oscar-winning friend wants to play the part of a legendary Irish-Mexican army commander who fought US invasions in the 19th century. The musician made the claim as he was honoured with Mexico's Ohtli award at the country's embassy in Dublin for his work promoting the country's culture and historical ties to Ireland. His love of Mexico was sparked in the late-1980s when he discovered Irish involvement in the war against the US.

Cover of Paddy Moloney NAPLES, Fla. — When Paddy Moloney started considering possible collaborators for The Chieftains’ 50th anniversary album, he knew the kind of artists he didn’t want: Mick Jagger, Sinead O’Connor, Van Morrison. He’d worked with all of those stars in the past: “I didn’t want to go in that generation,” he explained. “I wanted a newer generation; new kids on the block, you might say. Great indie contemporary stars of music.” Still, the 72-year-old Irish music titan admits to being a bit nervous about bringing young musicians into the Chieftains fold. “I was 50-50 about doing it,” he said. “Because I haven’t been happy about what I’ve been hearing over the last 20 years, the music that’s been coming out. I just wonder, is it music at all, you know? It’s all commercial.” Here’s who Moloney ended up with on “Voice of Ages”: Best new artist Grammy winner Bon Iver, the Pistol Annies, the Civil Wars, the Secret Sisters, the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the Decemb...

Image via Wikipedia Written by Andres Chavez and Diana Martinez, Sun Staff Wednesday, 17 March 2010 Sergio "Checo" Alonso, Jesus "Chuy" Guzman and Jimmy Cuellar. From the evocative cover art of La Virgen de Guadalupe holding an Irish solider to the subject matter of the album and, most importantly, in the fusion of the music, San Patricio is a provocative work of art. Ry Cooder and the famous Irish musician Paddy Moloney and his band the Chieftains working with some of the great Mexican musicians have fused traditional Mexican and Irish music to tell the story of the San Patricio brigade. Most reviews rightly praise the work of Cooder and Moloney and acknowledging this part of both American, Irish and Mexican history through music as commendable, but what should be equally commendable and yet to be fully acknowledged is the long roster of accomplished Latino musicians, including Rene Camacho, Linda Ronstadt , Cesar Duarte, Edmar Castaneda, Los Camperos de Valle are...

Paddy Moloney's memorable music at Ground Zero By GEORGINA BRENNAN , Former Irish Voice Reporter This story first appeared in the Irish Voice newspaper, on October 16, 2001 "Will you hold my hand?" asked Lauren Murphy as she braced herself to greet her husband's mourners. Lauren was speaking to Paddy Moloney, founder of the Chieftains, the Grammy award winning musical ambassadors of Ireland. Moloney and the band had come to New York specially to play at the memorial service for Lauren's husband Matthew, who considered himself the Chieftains' biggest fan. Matthew O'Mahony, a merchant banker for Cantor Fitzgerald, had been on the 95th floor of Tower One on September 11. His death brought thousands of mourners to St. Ignatius Loyola Church on Park Avenue on the afternoon of October 10, 2001. It also brought the Chieftains to grieve the loss of their number one fan. "He never missed any of our concerts," said Moloney sadly. Moloney wanted to come for...