The Clancy Brothers are a family of singing Irish expatriates who have been important figures in re-popularizing their native music in North America and are still among the most internationally renowned Irish folk bands. Some even credit the band as important figures in starting the folk revival of the '50s and '60s.

The Clancys,... [+] Read More

The Clancy Brothers are a family of singing Irish expatriates who have been important figures in re-popularizing their native music in North America and are still among the most internationally renowned Irish folk bands. Some even credit the band as important figures in starting the folk revival of the '50s and '60s.

The Clancys, Tom, Pat and Liam were born in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tiperrary, Ireland to a family of nine, all of whom were musically inclined. Tom and Pat emigrated to New York around the early '50s to become actors. Liam and his friend Tommy Makem, born in Keady, County Armagh the son of noted balladeer Sarah Makem, came to the U.S. in 1956. Before Liam emigrated, he had founded a dramatic society and had put on a play taking over the direction, producing and set design himself. He had also acted at the famed Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. Both he and Makem also hoped to have acting careers in New York. The Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem (as they were first billed) came together to sing fund-raising concerts for the Cherry Lane Theater and at the Guthrie benefits. Forgoing the stereotypical maudlin Irish ballads in favor of lusty party songs, traditional American and Irish folk songs and even protest tunes sung in close harmony and performed most theatrically, the Clancys soon became popular folk performers around Greenwich Village. In the mid-'50s, Pat founded Tradition Records so the Clancys and Makem could begin recording. Early recordings include "The Rising of the Moon" and "Come Fill Your Glass with Me."

By recording and touring often, the Clancys continued to become more and more popular in Eastern and Midwestern clubs, but it was their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1961 that brought them national exposure. Originally scheduled to only play three minutes, they ended up playing for 16 minutes and became an instant national sensation and soon signed a major contract with Columbia Records. The Clancys continued recording and performing together through 1969. That year Makem left to pursue his solo career. In 1975, Liam departed; he and Makem were replaced by brother Bobby Clancy and their nephew Robbie O'Connell. Since then, the original members have occasionally regrouped for reunion concerts. Tom Clancy died in 1990 but the band continued on. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Patrick Street is comprised of some of Ireland's most accomplished musicians. Formed in Dublin in 1986, the current group includes fiddler Kevin Burke (the Bothy Band), bouzouki player and vocalist Andy Irvine (Sweeney's Men, Planxty), button accordionist Jackie Daly (DeDanaan) and guitarist Ged Foley (the Battlefield Band, The House Band).... [+] Read More

Patrick Street is comprised of some of Ireland's most accomplished musicians. Formed in Dublin in 1986, the current group includes fiddler Kevin Burke (the Bothy Band), bouzouki player and vocalist Andy Irvine (Sweeney's Men, Planxty), button accordionist Jackie Daly (DeDanaan) and guitarist Ged Foley (the Battlefield Band, The House Band). Previous members include guitarists Arty McGlynn (Van Morrison, Planxty) and Gerry O'Beirne and Uillean pipe and keyboard player Declan Masterson. Patrick Street's self-titled debut album was produced by multi-instrumentalist Donal Lunny (Planxty, the Bothy Band, Moving Hearts).

Burke, Irvine, Daly and O'Beirne first came together to tour the United States as "Legends Of Irish Music". The enthusiastic reception that they received encouraged them to make the band more permanent. Taking the name "Patrick Street", the four musicians recorded four albums and toured the United States five times between 1987 and 1993. In the Fall of 1994, O'Beirne was replaced by Foley and Patrick Street joined with French Canadian band, La Boutine Sorriente, for a tour of New England. While much of Patrick Street's repertoire is traditional Irish music, the group has recorded original tunes by Irvine, Daly and O'Beirne, as well as tunes by Si Kahn, Woody Guthrie, Andy Mitchell, Dave Richardson and Colum Sands.

The core quartet of Patrick Street has been augmented by additional musicians on several albums. Donal Lunny played keyboard and bodhran on the group's first album. Enda Walsh played keyboards on their second effort, No. 2 Patrick Street. Patrick Street's third album, 3 Irish Times 3, featured the group's largest arrangements with the addition of Declan Masterson (Uillean pipes, low whistle, keyboards) and Bill Whelan (keyboards). The producer of Patrick Street's 1993 recording, All In Good Time, Whelan played keyboards and sang background vocals on the album. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The older brother of Irish folk-pop singer-songwriter Luka Bloom (Barry Moore), Christy Moore is one of contemporary Irish music's best singer-songwriters. The former lead vocalist and chief songwriter of Planxty and Moving Hearts, Moore helped to bring the musical traditions of Ireland up to modern standards. As a solo singer-songwriter, Moore... [+] Read More

The older brother of Irish folk-pop singer-songwriter Luka Bloom (Barry Moore), Christy Moore is one of contemporary Irish music's best singer-songwriters. The former lead vocalist and chief songwriter of Planxty and Moving Hearts, Moore helped to bring the musical traditions of Ireland up to modern standards. As a solo singer-songwriter, Moore has continued to add elements of rock and popular music to his well-crafted, tradition-based tunes and has been a major inspiration to such modern Irish artists as U2, Sinead O'Connor and the Pogues.

Traditional Irish music had little influence on Moore's early music. Trained in old-time pop tunes and religious music, Moore was inspired as a teenager by the rock & roll of American artists including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. It wasn't until he had moved to London, where he heard Irish folk songs sung in Irish ghettos, that he became aware of the musical traditions of his homeland. Acquiring an acoustic guitar and Irish drum (bodhran), Moore began busking in the streets. Moore continued to attract attention with his original, folk-like songs after returning to Ireland in the late 1960s. Moore's debut solo album, Paddy on the Road, was released in 1969.

While recording his third album, Prosperous, in 1972, Moore assembled a band that evolved into Planxty. The group's fusion of Celtic music and high-energy rock made Planxty one of Ireland's most influential bands. With Moore singing lead in his heavily accented brogue and playing rhythm guitar and bodhran, Planxty brought together such top-ranked Irish musicians as Donal Lunny (guitar, bouzouki, bottleneck bouzouki), Liam O'Flynn (uilleann pipes, whistle) and Andy Irvine (mandolin, mouth organ). Although he left Planxty in 1974, Moore returned when the band's original lineup reunited in 1979. He remained with Planxty until 1983, when it evolved into a new band, Moving Hearts. Moore served as frontman for Moving Hearts until leaving to resume his solo career in 1985.

The excitement of Moore's concerts has been documented on two albums. Live In Dublin, released in 1978, featured accompaniment by Donal Lunny. Live at the Point, released in 1995, captures a solo performance at the Point Theater in Dublin in July 1994. Moore's solo recordings between 1973 and 1978, were compiled on The Folk Collection, released in 1978. His solo recordings between 1981 and 1991 were anthologized on The Christy Moore Collection, released in 1991. Moore's 1985 album Voyage featured backing vocals by Sinead O'Connor, Elvis Costello and Mary Black, plus accordion player Shamus Shannon. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide [-] Hide

A member of one of Ireland's most respected singing families, Dolores Keane is the possessor of some of the sweetest tones in Celtic music. The first vocalist for Irish band De Danann, Keane has sung with the Chieftains and Planxty as well as with her husband, John Faulkner, and on her own.

Keane's musical career began at a very... [+] Read More

A member of one of Ireland's most respected singing families, Dolores Keane is the possessor of some of the sweetest tones in Celtic music. The first vocalist for Irish band De Danann, Keane has sung with the Chieftains and Planxty as well as with her husband, John Faulkner, and on her own.

Keane's musical career began at a very early age. By the time she was five, she was already singing with her aunts, Sarah and Rita Keane, well known singers of old Irish ballads. Invited by Johnny Moynihan to join a new band he was forming, De Danann; the experience represented the first time that Keane had sung with musical accompaniment. Keane remained with the group for four years and was featured on their self-titled debut album.

Keane emigrated to England in the late 1970s, and married guitar, bouzouki and mandolin player John Faulkner. In addition to singing together, Keane and Faulkner worked on several documentary videos for the BBC, including one project that entailed conducting research on Canada's Prince Edward Island. Keane's debut solo album, There Was a Maid, released in 1978, featured musical accompaniment by Reel Union, a tradition-based band that featured the late bodhran player of the Chieftains, Peader Mercier, and East Galway fiddler Mairtin Byrnes. Her second album, Brokenhearted I'll Wander, released in 1979, was a collaborative effort with Faulkner and again featured instrumental backing by Reel Union. Keane briefly joined the Irish trad-rock band Planxty in 1983. She returned to De Dannan in the mid-1980s, recording with two different lineups of the group, including the 1987 band that also featured Irish vocalist Mary Black. In 1989, Keane was featured vocalist on the Chieftains' album Bonaparte's Retreat.

Keane and Faulkner collaborated on two additional albums: Farewell to Eireann in 1980 and Sail Og Rua in 1983. Keane's subsequent solo albums include Lion In a Cage (1989), Dolores Keane (1991), and Solid Ground (1993), which featured instrumental accompaniment by De Danann's Martin O' Connor and Jackie Daly on accordion, her brother Sean Keane on flute, and Emmylou Harris on harmony and backing vocals. A greatest-hits collection, The Best of Dolores Keane, was released in 1997; Night Owl followed three years later.

Although she's yet to write an original tune, Keane has displayed impeccable taste in her choice of material. In addition to covering songs by Irish songwriters including Dougie MacLean, Shaun Davey, Paul Brady and Van Morrison, she has interpreted the songs of North American songwriters (David Mallett, Chris Rea, Kate & Anna McGarrigle) and British songsmiths (Richard and Linda Thompson, Steve Winwood).

On the 1998 tribute album to Pete Seeger, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, Keane collaborated with Tommy Sands and Vedran Smailovic for a unique rendition of Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone." ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The original traditional Irish folk band, as far as anyone who came of age in the 1970s or 1980s is concerned, is the Chieftains. Their sound, built largely on Paddy Moloney's pipes, is otherworldly, almost entirely instrumental, and seems as though it comes out of another age of man's history. That they became an international phenomenon in the... [+] Read More

The original traditional Irish folk band, as far as anyone who came of age in the 1970s or 1980s is concerned, is the Chieftains. Their sound, built largely on Paddy Moloney's pipes, is otherworldly, almost entirely instrumental, and seems as though it comes out of another age of man's history. That they became an international phenomenon in the '70s and '80s is testament to their virtuoso musicianship.

The Chieftains were first formed in Dublin during 1963, as a semi-professional outfit, from the ranks of the top folk musicians in Ireland. Until that time, and for some years after, the world's (and even Ireland's) perception of Irish folk songs was rooted in either the good-natured boisterousness and topicality of acts such as the Irish Rovers or Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers, or the sentimentality of Mary O'Hara. That began to change in Ireland with the advent of Ceoltoiri Cualann, a group formed from the ranks of the best traditional Irish musicians by a composer named Sean Ó Riada, who hailed from County Cork. Ceoltoiri Cualann, which specialized in instrumental music, stripped away the pop music inflections from Irish music -- the dances were played with a natural lilt and abandon that came from deep within the music's origins, and the airs, stripped of their worst modern inflections, came across with even greater poignancy than anyone had recognized them for in decades, and perhaps centuries. Tempos were changed in midsong, from reel to polka to jig to slow air and back again.

Paddy Moloney came out of Ceoltoiri Cualann to found the Chieftains in 1963, seeking to carry this work several steps further. The earliest recorded incarnation of the group consisted of Moloney (pipes), Sean Potts (tin whistle), Martin Fay (fiddle), David Fallon (bodhran), Mick Tubridy (flute, concertina), and Ó Riada. They were a success virtually from the beginning, their music weaving a spell around audiences in Ireland and later in England, where they quickly became popular as both a performing and recording act -- the only thing holding them back was the decision by the members to remain a semi-professional, part-time ensemble until the early '70s. Their first four albums, spread over a period from 1965 through 1973, were originally available only from the Claddagh label in Ireland, but were later picked up by Island Records for release in England and America in 1976, after the group had achieved international renown.

The 1970s saw the group break big in America. A new, younger generation of Irish-American listeners, who enjoyed folk music and whose cultural and musical tastes weren't limited to songs about "the troubles" (i.e., England), had already begun discovering the Chieftains' music in the early to mid-'70s. By that time, the group had elected to go professional, and to expand its lineup. Ó Riada and Fallon left after the first album, and Peadar Mercier (bodhran) and Sean Keane (fiddle) joined with the second. Following the recording of Chieftains 4, they'd added Ronnie McShane (percussion) and Derek Bell (harp, oboe, timpan), a classically trained musician. Bell's harp lent the group's sound a final degree of elegance and piquancy.

The group's big breakthrough in America, however, occurred when they provided the music for Stanley Kubrick's 1975 movie, Barry Lyndon. The film itself wasn't a hit, but the Chieftains were, especially one track called "Women of Ireland," which began getting played heavily on FM progressive rock stations, and even managed to get onto the play lists of some Top 40 stations. Suddenly, the Chieftains were hot in America, and a U.S. tour and a series of performances on television -- especially the network morning news/feature shows -- brought them into demand.

By that time, Island Records had contracted to release both the group's latest album, Chieftains 5, and their four previous records in England and America. With their newfound audience, Chieftains records started coming out every year instead of every two or three years -- Bonaparte's Retreat in 1976, Chieftains Live in 1977, and Chieftains 7, 8, and 9 in 1978, 1979, and 1980, respectively, although for their U.S. releases, from 1977 through 1980, they abandoned Island Records in favor of Columbia Records. Ever since the dawn of the CD era, their music has been available on compact disc from Shanachie Records, while their more recent work has shown up on the BMG label, on both compact disc and home video. The latter have included a Christmas concert and a mixed-ensemble performance interweaving the group with orchestras, American folk and country musicians, and rock musicians, and an album (Irish Heartbeat, 1988) recorded with Irish-born R&B shouter Van Morrison. Additionally, the group has been engaged steadily for film work.

Since the late '70s, the group's recordings have settled into an effective but not fully inspired level of creativity. The band has kept its sound fresh with the periodic addition of new members and a search for sounds beyond the boundaries of Ireland -- as distant as Spain -- as sources for its music.

In 2003, long time harp player Derek Bell passed away while on tour in Phoenix, AZ. The group, who continue to play and record, released a tribute in 2005 called Live in Dublin. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The Dubliners celebrate their 40th anniversary with a re-release of The Definitive Transatlantic Collection, which gathers 24 of the quintessential recordings the group cut for Transatlantic in the '60s. Culled from their appearances on the label's live albums and Celtic folk compilations, as well as their early full-length albums, this... [+] Read More

The Dubliners celebrate their 40th anniversary with a re-release of The Definitive Transatlantic Collection, which gathers 24 of the quintessential recordings the group cut for Transatlantic in the '60s. Culled from their appearances on the label's live albums and Celtic folk compilations, as well as their early full-length albums, this collection includes "The Rocky Road to Dublin," "The Banks of the Roses," "Boulavogue," and "Finnegan's Wake" among the mostly traditional material that they recorded at the time. A lively, authentic compilation, The Definitive Transatlantic Collection isn't quite as comprehensive as The Transatlantic Anthology, but it is a solid retrospective of the Dubliners' early years. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide [-] Hide

This record, made on the eve of the group's breakthrough in the United States, is where the modern Chieftains sound began. It is filled with too many instances of hauntingly beautiful music to name, from the gorgeous, reflective "Morgan Magan" to the rousing fiddle reel "The Bucks of Oranmore." Not only is all of the material absolutely first... [+] Read More

This record, made on the eve of the group's breakthrough in the United States, is where the modern Chieftains sound began. It is filled with too many instances of hauntingly beautiful music to name, from the gorgeous, reflective "Morgan Magan" to the rousing fiddle reel "The Bucks of Oranmore." Not only is all of the material absolutely first rate -- and all of it holds up on repeated listening -- but this was the first of the group's albums to include harpist Derek Bell. His presence has the curious effect of softening but deepening their sound, and adding a degree of lyricism that they'd previously lacked. There are moments on this album where the group sounds as much like a chamber orchestra as a folk ensemble, and it fulfills both roles exceptionally well (as listeners to the numerous albums that have appeared since can attest). The lineup here -- Paddy Moloney (pipes, tin whistle), Sean Potts (tin whistle), Michael Tubridy (flute, concertina, tin whistle), Martin Fay (fiddle), Seán Keane (fiddle), Peader Mercier (bodhran, bones), Derek Bell (harp) -- is generally considered the peak of the group's membership and history, and lasted until the end of the decade. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The Clancy Brothers left a considerable recorded legacy at Vanguard during their tenure there, and this 28-track collection is a strong sampling of it. With four previously unreleased tracks added to the double dozen, this is the most solid single-disc collection available of the group's best, adorned with extensive notes from Liam Clancy and...

The Clancy Brothers left a considerable recorded legacy at Vanguard during their tenure there, and this 28-track collection is a strong sampling of it. With four previously unreleased tracks added to the double dozen, this is the most solid single-disc collection available of the group's best, adorned with extensive notes from Liam Clancy and Marsha Sculatti. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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This is an essential collection chronicling the incomparable interpretive genius of Dolores Keane, spanning her solo career and also touching upon her early De Danann contributions. Among the 13 cuts are several previously unreleased tracks, as well as familiar songs covering a host of styles, including contemporary ballads penned by Dougie... [+] Read More

This is an essential collection chronicling the incomparable interpretive genius of Dolores Keane, spanning her solo career and also touching upon her early De Danann contributions. Among the 13 cuts are several previously unreleased tracks, as well as familiar songs covering a host of styles, including contemporary ballads penned by Dougie McLean, Paul Brady and Van Morrison. Also covered are John Faulkner's tribal "Lion in a Cage" and the World War II staple "Lili Marlene." Keane's take on "Galway Bay" might understandably be the definitive rendition of that song. Some of the arrangements are sappy and overproduced, but it's Keane's natural and strong voice that demands all of the attention here. ~ Dave Sleger, All Music Guide [-] Hide