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Paddy Moloney

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Paddy Moloney
Moloney in March 2009
Moloney in March 2009
Background information
Born(1938-08-01)1 August 1938
Dublin, Ireland
Died12 October 2021(2021-10-12) (aged 83)
Dublin, Ireland
GenresTraditional Irish music
Occupations
  • Musician
  • composer
  • record producer
Instruments
Years active1960–2021
Labels

Paddy Moloney (Irish: Pádraig Ó Maoldomhnaigh; 1 August 1938 – 12 October 2021) was an Irish musician, composer, and record producer. He co-founded and led the Irish musical group the Chieftains, playing on all of their 44 albums. He was particularly associated with the revival of the uilleann pipes.

Early life

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Moloney was born in the Donnycarney area of Dublin on 1 August 1938, the son of housewife Catherine (née Conroy) and Irish Glass Bottle Company accountant John Moloney. His mother bought him a tin whistle when he was six and he started to learn the uilleann pipes at the age of eight.[1]

Musical career

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In addition to the tin whistle and the uilleann pipes, Moloney also played button accordion and bodhrán.[1]

As a band musician

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Ceoltóirí Chualann

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Moloney first met Seán Ó Riada in the late 1950s.[2] He then joined Ó Riada's group, Ceoltóirí Chualann, in 1960.[1]

Moloney and the Chieftains in 2010

The Chieftains

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Along with Sean Potts and Michael Tubridy, Moloney formed the traditional Irish band the Chieftains in Dublin in November 1962.[3] As the band leader, he was the primary composer and arranger of much of the Chieftains' music, and composed for films including Treasure Island, The Grey Fox,[4] Braveheart, Gangs of New York,[5] and Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon.[4]

As a session musician

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Moloney did session work for Mike Oldfield, The Muppets, Mick Jagger, Gary Moore,[6] Paul McCartney, Sting,[4] Don Henley,[7] and Stevie Wonder.[4]

As a producer

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Together with Garech de Brún (anglicised to Garech Browne) of Luggala, he founded Claddagh Records in 1959. In 1968 he became a producer for the label and supervised the recording of 45 albums.[1]

Personal life and death

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Moloney was married to artist Rita O'Reilly from 1962 until his death in 2021.[8] They met during the 1950s while he was working for Baxendale & Company. They had three children together named Aonghus, Padraig, and Aedin, the last of whom is an actress and producer.[1] He was a fluent speaker of Irish.[9][10]

Moloney died suddenly at a hospital in Dublin on 12 October 2021, at the age of 83.[11][12][13][14] His funeral was held on 15 October at St. Kevin's Church in Glendalough, followed by a burial at the adjoining cemetery.[15][16]

Tributes

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Irish President Michael D. Higgins said, "The Irish music community, and indeed the much larger community throughout the world who found such inspiration in his work, will have learned with great sadness today of the passing of Paddy Moloney. [...] Paddy, with his extraordinary skills as an instrumentalist, notably the uilleann pipes and bodhrán, was at the forefront of the renaissance of interest in Irish music, bringing a greater appreciation of Irish music and culture internationally."[17]

Maura McGrath, chairwoman of the National Concert Hall in Dublin, said, "His musical achievement with the Chieftains was, and will continue to be, recognised as outstanding, transcending all musical boundaries, and connecting Irish people everywhere with their unique sound. Paddy's contribution to, and support of, the National Concert Hall throughout his lifetime has been immense."[17]

Selected discography

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See also: The Chieftains § Discography

Main source: [18]

  • Paddy Moloney and others – The Drones and Chanters: Irish Pipering (1971)[19]
  • Paddy Moloney and Sean Potts – Tin Whistles (1974)[20]
  • Silent Night: A Christmas in Rome (1998)[21]
  • John Montague & Paddy Moloney – The Wild Dog Rose (2011)[22]

Awards and honours

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Moloney received the Ohtli Award, Mexico's highest cultural award, on 13 September 2012.[23][24] On 28 June of the following year, he and the other members of the Chieftains received the Castelao Medal by the Government of Galicia, Spain for services to Galician culture and society.[25] He was named a Commander of the Order of Civil Merit in Spain four years later.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Sandomir, Richard (12 October 2021). "Paddy Moloney, Irish Piper Who Led the Chieftains, Dies at 83". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  2. ^ Harris, Craig. "Paddy Moloney: Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  3. ^ Hinckley, David (16 March 1997). "Beyond Tara's Halls The Nomadic Chieftains Fuel the Boom in Irish Music". New York Daily News. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Schofield, Derek (13 October 2021). "Paddy Moloney obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  5. ^ Moore, Sam (13 October 2021). "Paddy Moloney, founder of The Chieftains, dies aged 83". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  6. ^ Sculley, Alan (January 2001). "Celtic Champs: Chieftains Take to the Road". North Bay Bohemian. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  7. ^ Varga, George (21 February 2014). "The Chieftains 'Irish Spectacular' arrives". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 15 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Paddy Moloney obituary". The Times. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  9. ^ Daley, Lauren (8 March 2020). "The Chieftains' Paddy Moloney: 'Boston is ... my second Dublin'". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 13 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  10. ^ Tully, Jake (23 February 2014). "Irish legends, the Chieftains, bring 50 years of music to the VPAC". Daily Sundial. California State University, Northridge. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Chieftains founder Paddy Moloney laid to rest". The Irish World). 18 October 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  12. ^ Crowley, Sinéad (12 October 2021). "Paddy Moloney, The Chieftains founder, dies aged 83". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  13. ^ Finn, Melanie (12 October 2021). "Ireland has lost a 'true talent and advocate for traditional music' – warm tributes for legendary musician Paddy Moloney (83)". Irish Independent. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  14. ^ Burke, Céimin (12 October 2021). "President leads tributes to 'extraordinary' Chieftains founder Paddy Moloney". The Journal. Dublin: Journal Media Ltd. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  15. ^ "Death notice of Paddy Moloney". RIP.ie. Gradam Communications Limited. 13 October 2021. Archived from the original on 15 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  16. ^ "Paddy Moloney Funeral Service - 15th October 2021". Archived from the original on 16 October 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  17. ^ a b Falvey, Deirdre; Burns, Sarah. "Paddy Moloney: President Higgins leads tributes to Chieftains founder". The Irish Times. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  18. ^ "Paddy Moloney – Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  19. ^ The Drones and the Chanters: Irish Pipering at AllMusic. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  20. ^ Tin Whistles at AllMusic. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  21. ^ Silent Night: A Christmas in Rome at AllMusic. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  22. ^ The Wild Dog Rose at AllMusic. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  23. ^ Lawrence, Joe (13 September 2012). "The Chieftains' Founder Paddy Maloney Honoured With Mexico's Highest Cultural Award". Irish Independent. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  24. ^ "Chieftain Founder Paddy Moloney Honoured by Mexican Govt". RTÉ News. RTÉ. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  25. ^ "GMIT presents Honorary Fellowships to three outstanding individuals". Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  26. ^ "Chieftain Moloney honoured by Spain". Irish Examiner. Cork. 28 July 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
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