The Chieftains

The Chieftains

GREEN GOES GLOBAL
For the Chieftains' Paddy Moloney, the Whole World's a Little Bit Irish
"I was given this wonderful photograph from NASA while I was in Houston," says Paddy Moloney, the leader of the Chieftains, the world's most popular Irish traditional band. "It's a view of Ireland from outer space, with a little tricolor flag sticking out of it. It's just a lovely image."

And a fitting one, too. Looking at the world music scene from afar, Irish music seems to be everywhere -- whether it's on the folk, new age, or pop charts. The Chieftains are everywhere, too. LONG JOURNEY HOME, their soundtrack to the PBS/Disney documentary, nabbed a Grammy for best Traditional Folk Album back in February '99. And their subsequent release, TEARS OF STONE, -- which found them collaborating on traditional love songs with Sinead O'Connor, Joan Osborne, Bonnie Raitt, Loreena McKennitt, and other divas -- seems a likely contender for next year's contest. Now the band is celebrating the release of some of their oldest material with THE CLADDAGH YEARS, a box set collecting their first four albums.

The Chieftains have long delighted their fans by collaborating with high-profile stars like Van Morrisson and Luciano Pavarotti. TEARS OF STONE reached No.1in Ireland, the first Chieftains record to top the charts in their homeland. "Our people are really coming into their own," Paddy beams, adding, "It's also No. 1 in Singapore."

And mark that last point well. Celtic music hasn't just charted -- it's gone global, becoming a familiar element in the world music mix. Still, the ever-humble Moloney -- who has recorded with musicians in Brittany, Spain, Japan, and China and recently took part in a songwriters workshop in Cuba -- is quick to deny any credit for minting cross-cultural Irish fusion. But whether it was the Chieftains or million-dollar theatrical sensations RIVERDANCE and LORD OF THE DANCE, the music of green fields and meadows is no longer fenced in.

"I think Irish music is so popular now because there's so much melody and variety in it, it's just vast," Moloney explains. "Folk music is the beginning of all music," he says, "and any great folk tradition -- and Irish music goes back to the 8th century -- is always going to be strong." While sanguine on the health of his country's music, Moloney is uneasy with the idea of a certain "Celtic" sound.

Celtic refers to historical events that happened centuries ago," he says. "I regard each country -- Breton, France, Scotland, Ireland, Nova Scotia in Canada, what have you -- as a different country with different music. I see 'Celtic' music everywhere, if you want to know the truth."

Moloney's long-standing interest in world music has borne fruit in the record label he oversees, Wicklow, and in the careers of artists he's nurtured over the decades. Carlos Nuñez, the Galician piper who was integral to the Chieftains' SANTIAGO album, is one of them. "Carlos called me up at age 14," Moloney remembers, "his father had introduced us to him at age 9." Before long, the teenage virtuoso was touring with the Chieftains and recorded his own album. Traditional players like Nuñez give Moloney confidence in the future of Irish and Celtic music. "Just go to Ireland and listen to these frightening young musicians," he says, "Irish music is so well-preserved."

As artists like the Chieftains expand traditional repertoire into the realms of pop and world music, will the Celtic sound lose its identity? Fear not, says Moloney: "I don't have any fears whatsoever about traditional Irish music being swallowed up. World music isn't just a certain sound, and neither is what they call 'Celtic' music. It's great music, from around the world."

Then, with a characteristic chuckle, the Chieftain recalls the words of a purist who alleged that his band doesn't play Irish music anymore. "Well," he laughs, "They're just not listening."

-- Mark Schwartz