VIDEO/ Chieftains Concert: a people’s event

The history of Ireland is written in its music. These are the words of the Vice-director of the Irish Times, journalist and writer John Waters, who went on stage last night to introduce the Irish band, the Chieftains for the first time at the Meeting.

Led by the great Paddy Moloney, older but still in good shape, who founded the ensemble almost fifty years ago, here are the Chieftains. One of the main custodians of Irish music, the Grammy winning group has produced numerous albums over the years and played for Pope John Paul II, was the first group to play in the US Capitol and the first Western group to play on the Great Wall of China. Here they were at the Meeting.

It was a memorable evening of traditional music and dances that fired up the thousands of people in attendance. We had Paddy himself on the uillean pipe and the tin whistle, Matt Molloy on the flauto, Kevin Conneff on the bodhràn, Jon Pilatzke playing the violin. Joining them as special guests were Triona Marshall, first harpist of the Dublin Symphony Orchestra, Nashville guitarist Jeff White, and a bluegrass violinist and mandolinist, while, arriving in the course of the show, are the Scottish singer Alyth McCormack  and four Scottish bagpipe players with bass and snare drums. The Chieftains do not only express Irish tradition, in fact, but Celtic tradition in general. They even wrote the soundtrack to the movie Braveheart, set in the Scottish highlands. Also, extraordinary dancers Jon and Nathan Pilatzke danced together with the Irish dance star Cara Butler.

In the course of the show, the Chieftains played classics from the Irish tradition like The Foggy Dew, but also music from around the world.  In the course of their many years, the group has collaborated with artists from every corner of the planet. We heard Mexican music and classical harp and mandolin music.  Many times, the audience was on their feet clapping in time to the music, singing, and dancing. In an encore, Cara Butler took the hands of some enthusiastic volunteers at the Meeting and some spectators and led them in a winding dance that went up on stage and through the audience. It was a great people’s event, a great event of the Meeting.  



Watch the video on the next page.