Matt Molloy was born in Co. Roscommon, into one of the long lines of flute players for which the area is famous. He learned flute and whistle from his father, was playing in the school fife and drum band at the age of eight and by eighteen had won first prize in the major traditional music competitions. He moved to Dublin in the early 1970's to work for the Irish national airline as an engineer. He started playing in the music scene where he first became acquainted with Paddy Moloney. Matt co-founded The Bothy Band with Donal Lunny, and they recorded four albums in as many years, all highly regarded to this day. In his own words: "We made great music and had a great time but financially we were a bit of a disaster. We had too much of a good time!"

Following the group's demise, Matt joined the reformed Planxty before finally becoming a member of The Chieftains in 1979. In addition to his group work, Matt has featured on many other albums and was featured soloist with the Irish Chamber Orchestra on the centrepiece of composer Micheal o Suilleabháin's album 'Oileán/Island'.

Matt lives in Westport with his wife Geraldine and their kids Peter, Niamh, Clare and James. Geraldine and Matt also run their famous pub, Matt Molloy's, visited by many from far and wide, including Twiggy, Noel and Liam Gallagher, Jerry Garcia, to name but a few.