The band has recorded many albums of instrumental Irish folk music, as well as multiple collaborations with popular musicians of many genres, including Country music, Galician traditional music, Cape Breton and Newfoundland music, and rock and roll. They have performed with Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones Read Full BioThe Chieftains are a Grammy winning Irish musical group founded in 1962 (Dublin, Ireland), known for performing and popularizing Irish traditional music.
The band has recorded many albums of instrumental Irish folk music, as well as multiple collaborations with popular musicians of many genres, including Country music, Galician traditional music, Cape Breton and Newfoundland music, and rock and roll. They have performed with Van Morrison, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Roger Daltrey, Elvis Costello, Tom Jones, Sinéad O'Connor, James Galway, Jackson Browne, Nancy Griffith and numerous Country-western artists. In 1975, the group won praise for their playing of "Women of Ireland" for Stanley Kubrick's movie Barry Lyndon.
They have won six Grammy Awards and have been nominated eighteen times. In 2002 they were given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the UK's BBC Radio 2. The front covers of the first four albums were designed by Edward Delaney.
Paddy Moloney is the band's leader, and composes or arranges most of the band's music. While the band's members changed numerous times in the band's early history, the membership solidified in 1979 when Matt Molloy replaced Michael Tubridy.
From then until 2002, members included:
Paddy Moloney (uilleann pipes, tin whistle, button accordion, bodhrán)
Matt Molloy (flute, tin whistle)
Kevin Conneff (bodhrán, vocals)
Seán Keane (fiddle, tin whistle)
Martin Fay (fiddle, bones) (born 1938; died 14 November 2012)
Derek Bell (Irish harp, keyboard instruments, oboe) (born 21 October 1935; died 17 October 2002)
In 2002, Fay retired from active membership. In the same year, Bell died due to complications following a minor operation. Fay died on 14 November 2012.
The Foggy Dew
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning | Line by Line Meaning
To a city fair rode I
There armed lines of marching men
In squadrons passed me by
No pipe did hum, no battle drum did sound it's loud tattoo
But the Angelus Bells o'er the Liffey swells rang out in the foggy dew
Right proudly high in Dublin town
Hung they out a flag of war
'Twas better to die 'neath that Irish sky
Than at Sulva or Sud el Bar
And from the plains of Royal Meath
Strong men came hurrying through
While Brittania's huns with their long range guns
Sailed in through the foggy dew
Their bravest fell and the requiem bell
Rang mournfully and clear
For those who died that Eastertide in the
Springing of the year
While the world did gaze with deep amaze
At those fearless men but few
Who bore the fight that freedom's light
Might shine through the foggy dew
And back through the glen
I rode again
And my heart with grief was sore
For I parted then with valiant men
Whom I never shall see n'more
But to and fro in my dreams I go
And I kneel and pray for you
For slavery fled oh glorious dead
When you fell in the foggy dew
The Foggy Dew is a song that explores the events that transpired during the Easter Rising of 1916 in Ireland. The lyrics open with the narrator recalling his encounter with marching men while he was in the Glen one Easter morning. These men were heading towards a city fair and passed him in armed lines. The narrator explains that there was no music playing, and there was an eerie silence all around them. However, the Angelus Bells rang out in the Liffey swells, adding to the sombre mood around them. The second stanza talks about the Irish flag, which hung high in Dublin town, indicating that war was imminent. It was better for the Irish to fight and die under their flag in their homeland than in some foreign lands like Sulva or Sud el Bar. The third and fourth stanzas describe the war and the people who fought on both sides. The men of Royal Meath fought bravely even though Britain's huns had superior long-range guns. However, in the end, the bravest fell, and the requiem bell rang mournfully for those who died that Eastertide. The last stanza of the song recounts the narrator's return to the Glen and his grief for the valiant men with whom he parted and will never see again. Yet, the narrator still dreams of them and kneels and prays for them because their sacrifice facilitated Ireland's freedom from slavery.
Line by Line Meaning
I was down the glen one Easter morn
One Easter morning, I was walking in the valley.
To a city fair rode I
I traveled to attend a city fair.
There armed lines of marching men
I saw many men marching with weapons.
In squadrons passed me by
They moved past me in orderly groups.
No pipe did hum, no battle drum did sound it's loud tattoo
There was no music or drums to signal an impending battle.
But the Angelus Bells o'er the Liffey swells rang out in the foggy dew
However, the Angelus Bells rang through the foggy air, coming from the nearby river Liffey.
Right proudly high in Dublin town
In Dublin town, a flag fluttered with great pride.
Hung they out a flag of war
The flag was a symbol of war.
'Twas better to die 'neath that Irish sky
Dying beneath the Irish sky was seen as preferable.
Than at Sulva or Sud el Bar
It was better to die fighting for Ireland than in battle in other places.
And from the plains of Royal Meath
Strong men came from Royal Meath.
Strong men came hurrying through
These men rushed to fight for their country.
While Brittania's huns with their long-range guns
Meanwhile, British soldiers with powerful weapons approached.
Sailed in through the foggy dew
They advanced through the foggy air.
Their bravest fell and the requiem bell
The bravest Irish soldiers fell in battle, and a bell was rung to honor them.
Rang mournfully and clear
The bell rang with a sorrowful but clear sound.
For those who died that Eastertide in the springing of the year
The bell was rung to honor those who died around Easter time, when spring begins.
While the world did gaze with deep amaze
The world watched in awe.
At those fearless men but few
Everyone admired the brave Irish soldiers, even though there weren't many of them.
Who bore the fight that freedom's light might shine through the foggy dew
These soldiers fought for their country's freedom, even in the unclear and foggy conditions.
And back through the glen I rode again
I rode back through the valley.
And my heart with grief was sore
I was deeply saddened in my heart.
For I parted then with valiant men
I left behind the brave soldiers.
Whom I never shall see n'more
I knew that I would never see them again.
But to and fro in my dreams I go
However, I often think about them in my dreams.
And I kneel and pray for you
I kneel and pray for them.
For slavery fled oh glorious dead
I remember them as heroes who fought against oppression and tyranny.
When you fell in the foggy dew
They bravely gave their lives during the foggy battle, and their sacrifice still inspires us today.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J BAIRD, TRADITIONAL, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tom canterbury
on North Amerikay
the great accapella version by kevin on tribute to their harpist