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.
A Stór Mo Chroí
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the house that you'll soon be leaving
Sure it's many a time by night and by day
That your heart will be sorely grieving
For the stranger's land may be bright and fair
And rich in all treasures golden
You'll pine, I know, for the long, long ago
And the heart that is never olden
A Stor Mo Chroi, in the stranger's land
There's plenty of wealth and wailing
Though gems adorn the rich and grand
There are faces with hunger pailing
The road may be weary, and hard to tread
And the lights of the city blind you
Oh turn, A Stor, to old Erin's shore
And the ones you have left behind you
A Stor Mo Chroi, when the evening's mist
In the mountain and meadow is falling
Oh turn, A Stor, from the throng and list
And maybe you'll hear me calling
For the sound of a voice that you seldom hear
For somebody's speedy returning
A rún, a rún, Oh, won't you come back soon
To the one who really loves you
The Chieftains feat. Bonnie Raitt's song A Stór Mo Chroí is a wistful and melancholic ballad that speaks to the longing for home and loved ones left behind. The song acknowledges the allure of a new and exciting land, but laments the pain that comes with leaving one's heart and affection behind. The opening lines of the song convey this sentiment particularly well, as they speak of the sorrow that will inevitably come from leaving the familiar and comfortable home. The lyrics suggest that while the new land may be bright and rich in all treasures golden, something old-fashioned still has a great deal of power.
Later in the song, the lyrics ask the listener to consider the plight of those stuck in the new land, unable to return home easily or quickly. While the city and its lights may be dazzling, there are people back in old Erin's shore who have been left behind and are longing for a loved one's return. The song suggests that even if the road home is weary and hard to tread, there is something undeniably special about the connection to one's true home and the ones they have left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
A Stor Mo Chroi, when you're far away
My love, when you are distant from me
From the house that you'll soon be leaving
From the home you will be leaving soon
Sure it's many a time by night and by day
Many times, both day and night,
That your heart will be sorely grieving
Your heart will feel sad
For the stranger's land may be bright and fair
Even though the foreign land is beautiful and prosperous,
And rich in all treasures golden
And has all sorts of wealth and treasures,
You'll pine, I know, for the long, long ago
You will long for the days of the past
And the heart that is never olden
And the love that never grows old.
A Stor Mo Chroi, in the stranger's land
My love, in the foreign land
There's plenty of wealth and wailing
There is much wealth but also much sorrow
Though gems adorn the rich and grand
Even though the wealthy are bedecked in jewels
There are faces with hunger pailing
There are still many faces marked by hunger.
The road may be weary, and hard to tread
The path may be tiring and difficult to travel,
And the lights of the city blind you
And the bright lights of the city blind your sight.
Oh turn, A Stor, to old Erin's shore
Come back to Ireland, my love
And the ones you have left behind you
And the people you've left behind
A Stor Mo Chroi, when the evening's mist
My love, when the evening mist
In the mountain and meadow is falling
Falls in the mountains and meadows
Oh turn, A Stor, from the throng and list
Turn away from the crowds and noise, my love
And maybe you'll hear me calling
And perhaps you will hear me singing
For the sound of a voice that you seldom hear
For the sound of a voice you rarely hear,
For somebody's speedy returning
For someone to return swiftly.
A rún, a rún, Oh, won't you come back soon
My love, my love, please come back soon
To the one who really loves you
To the one who truly loves you
Contributed by Eliana A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tom canterbury
on North Amerikay
the great accapella version by kevin on tribute to their harpist