Irish musician and founder of the Irish group The Chieftains Paddy Moloney died October 11, 2021 in Dublin, Ireland at the age of 83. No official cause of death was released.
Paddy Moloney formed The Chieftains in 1962 and over the course of his 50 plus years with the band, Moloney has worked with The Muppets, The Rolling Stones, Emmylou Harris, The Pogues, Roger Daltrey, Luciano Pavarotti, Sting, Jackson Browne, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, and was the first western band to give a performance in China. The band was on tour in 2020 when the Covid pandemic forced the band to cancel their tour.
Originally not designed to be a permanent fixture or long standing band; The Chieftains went on to win six Grammy Awards. The Chieftains have opened the world of Irish traditional and folk music to millions of people.
Moloney also did a great deal of solo work; often lending his musical skills to the recordings of other artists.
A self-taught musician, Moloney began his musical journey when he was just six years old after his mother gave him a tin whistle (also known as a penny whistle). And at age eight he picked up the uilleann pipes (the Irish cousin to the Highland bag pipes).
He was born Patrick Moloney on August 1, 1938 in the Dublin suburb of Donnycarney to a musical family. His grandfather was a flute player and he had an uncle who was a member of the Ballyfin Pipe Band.
Prior to forming The Chieftains, Moloney played with numerous other musicians and bands including Seán Potts, Michael Tubridy, Martin Fay, and Seán Ó Ríada.
While working at Claddagh Records Moloney produced or co-produced a total of 45 albums of folk, traditional, and classical music; as well as some poetry and spoken word albums.
While at Claddagh, he worked with many artists including Paddy Taylor, Máire Ní Donnachadha, Seán Mac Donncha, Denis Murphy and Julia Clifford, Sarah and Rita Keane, and Tommy Potts. And writers Seámus Heaney, John Montague, and Thomas Kinsella.
A truly multi talented individual, Moloney composed several works for soundtracks including “Circasia”, “Lovespell”, the mini series “The Year of the French”, “Ballad of the Irish Horse”, “Three Wishes for Jamie”, the made for TV movie “Treasure Island”, “Two if by Sea”, “Alannah Myles: You Love Who You Love”, “Under the Sea”, the documentary “The Irish in America: Long Journey Home”, “Tristan and Isolde”, “Agnes Browne”, and “Cooder and Los Tigres del Norte”.
His music has appeared in “Barry Lyndon”, “The Grey Fox”, “Only the Lonely”, “The Ren & Stimpy Show”, “Babe: Pig in the City”, “Gangs of New York”, “The Flynns’ Journey to Ireland”, “I’m Dying Up Here”, and “Capitalism: A Love Story”.
Moloney is survived by his wife Rita and children – Aonghus, Pádraig, and Aedin.
feature photo credit: Paddy Maloney of the Chieftains (214371161).jpg