Matt Molloy
Through friendship with
Paddy Moloney, Matt Molloy was already familiar with the
Chieftains when he joined in
1979 as one of the two non - Dubliners in the group, replacing
Michael Tubridy on flute.
The Chieftains 9;
Boil The Breakfast Early is his first
album with the Chieftains. Matt Molloy comes from a strong musical background, of the famed fiddle and flute playing tradition of
North Connacht. Before joining the Chieftains,
Matt was already known as an accomplished flautist playing with a number of groups and session artists.
Matt was born in
Ballaghadereen,
County Roscommon, an area well known for flute players. Matt began playing the flute at age 8 and by the age of 18, he had won the
All-Ireland Flute Championship and had a string of successes in
National Fleadh Cheoil and
Oireachtas. He moved to
Dublin in the mid 1960's where he started playing in the music scene and became acquainted with Paddy Moloney. He was invited to join The Chieftains in 1979.
During the burgeoning folk scene of the
1970's, Matt was a founding member of the famous folk group,
The Bothy Band. After the
Bothy Band, Matt appeared briefly with the reformed group,
Planxty. Matt has released several highly acclaimed solo albums and has worked with other accomplished musicians. He has teamed up with
Paul Brady,
Tommy Peoples,
Micheál Ó Súilleabháin,
Dónal Lunny and the
Irish Chamber Orchestra among other artists.
In addition to playing, Matt owns a pub in
Westport, County Mayo,
Ireland called Matt Molloy's, where he has recorded a live session album. His pub is well known for having sessions including many different musicians.
John Carty
John Carty is one of Ireland's finest traditional musicians having been awarded
TG4's
Traditional Musician of the Year in
2003. He joins previous acclaimed winners Matt Molloy (Chieftains flautist), Tommy Peoples (
Master Fiddler),
Mary Bergin (whistle player, Dordan),
Máire Ní Chathasaigh (Harpist) and
Paddy Keenan (
Uilleann Piper), all of whom are considered to be the leading exponents of their instruments within the
Irish tradition.
Carty already has three solo fiddle albums, two banjo albums, two group albums and a sprinkling of recorded tenor guitar and flute music recordings under his belt so it's little wonder he should have joined such elusive ranks.
Born in
London, fiddler John Carty has established himself among the elite in
Irish traditional music and as a staunch supporter of its preservation. Carty developed his love for fiddle, banjo, and flute, all of which he has mastered, through his multi-instrumentalist father who was a member of the
Glenside Ceili Band in London in the 1960's.
At the age of 16 Carty found himself playing in sessions with some of
Irish music's finest and he began to entertain the thought of relocating to Ireland.
Soon after settling in
Boyle,
Co Roscommon, Carty released his
1994 debut banjo album,
The Cat that Ate the
Candle to positive reviews.
This led to his first fiddle album,
Last Night's
Fun, released on
Shanachie Records in
1996. This album has been described as a milestone in recorded fiddle music. In
1997 he formed At the
Racket, a fun, loose, free-spirited dance band named after an old
Flanagan Brothers 78 rpm. The group recorded two highly acclaimed CDs, "At the Racket" (RR001) and "
Mirth Making
Heroes" (RR003) and toured all the major
European festivals.
In
2000 he teamed up with guitarist
Arty McGlynn and began work on his second fiddle release, "Yeh,
That's All It Is". His third record for Shanachie,
At It Again, arrived in 2003.
July 2005 saw the launch of Carty's latest CD featuring banjo and tenor guitar, "
I Will If I Can". Accompanied by
Alec Finn,
Brian McGrath and
Johnny McDonagh, Carty once again shows his plectrum prowess to full affect.
John performs regularly with
Chieftain's flautist Matt Molloy exploring the North
Connaught tradition they both love. He has also toured the UK, US and Ireland with re-formed super group,
Patrick Street. The group includes legendary musicians
Andy Irvine,
Kevin Burke,
Jackie Daly and Ged
Foley. He has also appeared as a special guest with the Chieftains and De
Danaan.
John's solo and group careers see him in demand and he has performed at all major festivals throughout
Europe,
North America and
Australasia
- published: 22 May 2008
- views: 53448