Paddy Moloney

Template:Short description Template:Use Irish English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox musical artist Paddy Moloney (Template:Langx; 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

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.<ref name="NYT">Template:Cite news</ref>

Musical career

In addition to the tin whistle and the uilleann pipes, Moloney also played button accordion and bodhrán.<ref name=NYT/>

As a band musician

Ceoltóirí Chualann

Moloney first met Seán Ó Riada in the late 1950s.<ref name="AllMusic bio">Template:Cite web</ref> He then joined Ó Riada's group, Ceoltóirí Chualann, in 1960.<ref name=NYT/>

File:Paddy Moloney and The Chieftains.jpg

Moloney and the Chieftains in 2010

The Chieftains

Along with Sean Potts and Michael Tubridy, Moloney formed the traditional Irish band the Chieftains in Dublin in November 1962.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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,<ref name="Guardian obit">Template:Cite news</ref> Braveheart, Gangs of New York,<ref name=Moore>Template:Cite news</ref> and Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon.<ref name="Guardian obit"/>

As a session musician

Moloney did session work for Mike Oldfield, The Muppets, Mick Jagger, Gary Moore,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Paul McCartney, Sting,<ref name="Guardian obit"/> Don Henley,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Stevie Wonder.<ref name="Guardian obit"/>

As a producer

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.<ref name=NYT/>

Personal life and death

Moloney was married to artist Rita O'Reilly from 1962 until his death in 2021.<ref name="Timesobit">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name=NYT/> He was a fluent speaker of Irish.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Moloney died suddenly at a hospital in Dublin on 12 October 2021, at the age of 83.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His funeral was held on 15 October at St. Kevin's Church in Glendalough, followed by a burial at the adjoining cemetery.<ref name="deathnotice">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Tributes

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."<ref name="tributes">Template:Cite news</ref>

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."<ref name="tributes" />

Selected discography

• Paddy Moloney and others – The Drones and Chanters: Irish Pipering (1971)<ref>Template:AllMusic </ref>
• Paddy Moloney and Sean Potts – Tin Whistles (1974)<ref>Template:AllMusic</ref>
• Silent Night: A Christmas in Rome (1998)<ref>Template:AllMusic</ref>
• John Montague & Paddy Moloney – The Wild Dog Rose (2011)<ref>Template:AllMusic</ref>

Awards and honours

Moloney received the Ohtli Award, Mexico's highest cultural award, on 13 September 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was named a Commander of the Order of Civil Merit in Spain four years later.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

External links

• Video interview, Naples Daily News, 2011Template:Dead link
• Paddy Moloney Interviewed on Chiff & Fipple
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