The Council of the Galician Government will honor The Chieftains with the “Castelao Medal” at the upcoming awards ceremony on June 28^th in Santiago de Compostela. The Castelao Medal is awarded annually by the Xunta de Galicia to recognize outstanding achievements in art, literature, music, or science. One of the founding members of The Chieftains, Mr. Paddy Moloney, will accept the award on behalf of the group

The Chieftains have a history with Galicia that stretches back almost thirty years…….In the late 1980’s, after a festival performance in the Galician seaport of Vigo, Moloney met a gifted piper by the name of Carlos Núñez. This meeting marked the beginning of a long-standing and fruitful collaboration. Núñez joined The Chieftains in performances around the world and thrilled audiences with his unmatched skill on recorder and the Gaita (Galician bag-pipes). The Chieftains also worked with Carlos in the studio on the full length release Santiago (1996-BMG Classics).  The Chieftains drew inspiration from the traditional pilgrimage route to the enchanted cathedral of Santiago de Compestela. Moloney’s passion for music, influenced by the Galician tradition, drew him to regions outside of Galicia as well, including Cuba and southern California. The Chieftains have done a great deal to shed light on the cultural connection between Galicia and Celtic Ireland. They will be the first Irishmen to receive the Castelao Medal.

Moloney will join the other award winners and the President of the Galician Government, Mr. Alberto Núñez Feijóo at the President’s residence for a private luncheon following the awards ceremony.

The Chieftains had the honor of performing live with Canadian Astronaut Cmdr. Chris Hadfield in Houston, TX on February 15th, 2013.  Cmdr. Hadfield performed guitar and vocals on “Moondance” from aboard the International Space Station. What a thrill!

The Chieftains feat. Cmdr. Chris Hadfield – “Moondance” (Live)

The Chieftains will be joined by special guests The Low Anthem for a trio of shows on their upcoming St. Patrick’s Day tour, including Morristown, NJ on March 5, Princeton, NJ on March 6, and Stamford, CT on March 12.  The Low Anthem collaborated with The Chieftains on last years 50th anniversary album “Voice of Ages”, which Rolling Stone called “killer” and Billboard hailed as “momentous”, and joined them for a special performance on The Late Show with David Letterman.

See full dates for the US tour, which finds The Chieftains collaborating with a variety of orchestras on the tour page.

Due to scheduling conflicts, The Chieftains show in Austin, Texas on February 14, 2013 is being postponed to a date in 2014.  Please check our website and Facebook pages for updates.  More information can be found on the website for One World Theatre in Austin, TX.

The Chieftains apologize for any inconvenience.

The Chieftains are sad to announce that original member Martin Fay has passed away at the age of 76.  Martin’s memory and music will be with The Chieftains always.  He will be dearly missed.

Tickets are now on-sale for The Chieftains 2013 US tour – ticket links and information below!

February 9, 2013 – Naples, FL - Buy Tickets Here 

February 10, 2013 – Gainesville, FL – Buy Tickets Here 

February 11, 2013 – Tallahassee, FL -Buy Tickets Here

February 13, 2013 – Salt Lake City, UT – Buy Tickets Here

February 14, 2013 – Austin, TX – POSTPONED UNTIL 2014

February 15, 2013 – Houston, TX – Buy Tickets Here

February 17, 2013 – Los Angeles, CA – Buy Tickets Here

February 18, 2013 – Las Vegas, NV – Buy Tickets Here

February 19, 2013 – Omaha, NE – Buy Tickets Here

February 21 – 23 2013 – Nashville, TN – Buy Tickets Here

February 24, 2013 – Cleveland, OH – Buy Tickets Here

February 26, 2013 – Ithaca, NY – Buy Tickets Here

February 27, 2013 – Utica, NY – Buy Tickets Here

March 1, 2013 – Chicago, IL – Buy Tickets Here

March 2, 2013 – Rockford, IL – Buy Tickets Here

March 3, 2013 – Bloomington, IL – Buy Tickets Here

March 5, 2013 – Morristown, NJ – Buy Tickets Here

March 6, 2013 – Princeton, NJ – Buy Tickets Here

March 8 – 10, 2013 – Cincinnati, OH – Buy Tickets Here

March 12, 2013 – Stamford, CT – Buy Tickets Here

March 14 – 16, 2013 – Washington, DC – Buy Tickets Here on December 5!

March 17, 2013 – Norfolk, VA – Buy Tickets Here

*NEW DATE ADDED – The Chieftains will be performing April 24, 2013 in Brussels, Belgium – Buy Tickets Here

Don’t forget to “Like” The Chieftains on Facebook to get all of the latest updates and behind the scenes action!  Click Here

- The Chieftains Team

There are still great seats available for The Chieftains concert in Calgary, AB, on October 9th!  Get your tickets before they’re gone!

http://www.epcorcentre.org/WhatsOn/ShowDetails.aspx?show_id=73130D32-E5E8-4E3A-8EA4-32284CAAE996

The Chieftains are excited to confirm their participation in this year’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco, CA!

Catch them at Golden Gate Park on Saturday, August 6th!

For more information, check out – http://www.hardlystrictlybluegrass.com/

ARTICLE TAKEN FROM WWW.RTE.IE

The Mexican government has honoured one of the founders of the Chieftans with an award to recognise the contribution he has made in strengthening ties between Ireland and Mexico.

The ‘Ohtli’ Award is the highest cultural award that Mexico gives to citizens outside of the country. Paddy Moloney is one of only three Irish people ever to have received the honour. Mexican Ambassador to Ireland Carlos Garcia de Alba said Mr Moloney received the Award in recognition of his strengthening of Mexican and Irish ties.
In 2010, The Chieftains released the album ‘San Patricio’. The collaborative album was inspired by the story of soldiers in the Mexican American war, led by Sgt John Reilly, who deserted the US Army and fought for the Mexican side as the St Patricio Battalion.

“John formed his battalion, and fought on the Mexican side until the bitter end,” Paddy said.

Taken by the story, Mr Moloney fused the sounds of nine regions of the country along with the Chieftains own music.
The award will be officially presented to Mr Moloney tomorrow evening to coincide with Mexican independence celebrations.

He said this award means a lot to him.

He added that the album took years to research the music of Mexico from the 19th and 20th centuries.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PADDY MOLONEY’S AWARD

For anyone who loves Irish music and poetry, this is the album for you. Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains and John Montague, celebrated Irish poet, have released their collaboration, The Wild Dog Rose, an album of poetry and Irish music.  This album is a long time coming, something both Moloney and Montague discussed as far back as the 1960s. At long last, it’s here and now available to purchase.

As Moloney says on the sleeve notes of The Wild Dog Rose:   ‘When I first spoke to John Montague, it was while recording the first Chieftain’s album at Peter Hunt Studios in Dublin. John wondered about my suggestion of calling the group TheQuare Fellas after our friend Brendan Behan’s play. John came up with the bright idea of The Chieftains based on his book of short stories Death of a Chieftain.   From that point on, John and I became friends, through Claddagh, and during the making of The Northern Muse, which was the first spoken word album that I managed as a director and the manager of Claddagh Records.’

A moving and powerful combination of Moloney’s Uilleann pipes and tin whistle with Montague’s sonorous voice reciting his own poems, this is an album the world has been waiting for. Deeply moving and beautiful, it creates an atmosphere that will bring anyone listening back to the shores of Ireland. Also featured on the album are Sir James Galway, Veronica McSwiney and the other members of The Chieftains (Sean Keane, Matt Molloy, Kevin Conneff and Triona Marshall).

Steeped in Irish history and language, the vagaries of love and loss, this album will be a classic of our times and well into the future.

To buy “The Wild Dog Rose” on itunes, click here

“Irresistible. The poet of loss and love consoled by the minstrel of delight.” – John Boorman, April 2011.