Paddy Moloney, founder of The Chieftains, who has done more than anyone else to launch Irish music onto the world stage, talks to Lauren Byrne. In the expensive gloom of Boston's Copley Plaza Hotel, Paddy Moloney orders a pot of Earl Grey tea and shifts out of the draft from an over efficient air-conditioner. At 65, his hair is dappled gray, but Moloney's bantam figure is as … [Read more...] about The Chief of Irish Music
Irish Musician
The Rice Man Cometh
Damien Rice: o If you have lost faith in the possibility for a new singer-songwriter to emerge with a graceful album of dirges and lullabies, it's time to believe again. Dublin-born Damien Rice's debut album, o, has been released in the U.S. by Vector Recordings (see also www. damienrice.com) after being praised ceaselessly overseas for the past year. With literary references … [Read more...] about The Rice Man Cometh
Paddy Clancy Scholarships
A number of scholarships in honor of musician and folk singer Paddy Clancy are available to students with an interest in pursuing studies in folk song, sean nós and the traditional ballad. American students may apply the scholarship toward study at the Irish World Music Centre at the University of Limerick. Paddy Clancy and his brothers had a huge influence on folk music on … [Read more...] about Paddy Clancy Scholarships
America’s Favorite Irish Tenor
Siobhan Tracey talks to Ronan Tynan about life, love and what keeps him sane. As my knowledge of opera is almost solely limited to the trivia fact that "Un bel di" from Madame Butterfly is playing as Glenn Close wreaks her havoc in Fatal Attraction, I did wonder fleetingly whether I needed to brush up on a few key operatic terms before meeting Ronan Tynan, the renowned Irish … [Read more...] about America’s Favorite Irish Tenor
Music: Traditional Music Roundup
Mirth-Making Heroes There are folks who think of "Celtic" music as a gently soothing, slightly ethereal style, heavy on the harps and tin whistles. They haven't heard At the Racket, a fun-loving bunch who prefer their jigs and reels on the saxophone and tenor banjo. This "racket" is actually the sort of whoop-it-up band you might have heard at a Saturday night dance in … [Read more...] about Music: Traditional Music Roundup