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.
Down In The Willow Garden
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down in the willow garden
Where me and my true love did meet,
It was there we were courtin',
My love fell off to sleep.
I had a bottle of burgundy wine,
My true love she did not know.
It was there I murdered that dear little girl
Down on the banks below.
I drew my saber through her,
It was a bloody knife,
I threw her into the river,
It was an awful sight.
My father often told me
That money would set me free
If I would murder that poor little girl
Whose name was Rose Connelly.
Now he stands at his cabin door,
Wiping his tears from his eyes,
Gazing on his own dear son,
Upon the scaffold high.
My race is run beneath the sun,
The devil is waiting for me,
For I did murder that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connelly.
The Chieftains' song "Down In The Willow Garden" featuring Bon Iver is a haunting ballad that tells the story of a murder committed by the singer. The song's lyrics suggest that the singer was in love with a girl named Rose Connelly, and that his father convinced him to murder her for money. The murder takes place in a willow garden, and the singer uses a saber to kill Rose and then throws her into a river. The singer's guilt is palpable throughout the song, as he describes the bloody knife and the awful sight of the dead girl's body in the water.
The lyrics of "Down In The Willow Garden" are filled with regret and sorrow, and the melody adds to the sense of melancholy. Bon Iver's voice, with its raw and emotional quality, is a perfect fit for the song. The ballad style of the song also reinforces the sense of tragedy and loss, as it draws on traditional folk music that often deals with themes of death and violence.
Line by Line Meaning
Down in the willow garden
In a place where willow trees grow
Where me and my true love did meet
Where I met my significant other
It was there we were courtin'
We were dating there
My love fell off to sleep
My sweetheart fell asleep
I had a bottle of burgundy wine
I had a bottle of red wine
My true love she did not know
My lover was unaware
It was there I murdered that dear little girl
It was there I killed that young girl
Down on the banks below
Near the edge of the river
I drew my saber through her
I stabbed her with my sword
It was a bloody knife
The knife was covered in blood
I threw her into the river
I tossed her body into the water
It was an awful sight
It was a terrible thing to witness
My father often told me
My dad would say to me
That money would set me free
That I could get away with anything if I paid enough
If I would murder that poor little girl
If I killed that unfortunate young lady
Whose name was Rose Connelly
The girl's name was Rose Connelly
Now he stands at his cabin door
Now my father is standing outside his house
Wiping his tears from his eyes
Drying his teary eyes
Gazing on his own dear son
Looking at his beloved child
Upon the scaffold high
On the tall structure used for execution
My race is run beneath the sun
My life is soon to end
The devil is waiting for me
The devil is ready to claim my soul
For I did murder that dear little girl
Because I killed that poor girl
Whose name was Rose Connelly
Whose name was Rose Connelly
Writer(s): Paddy Moloney, Charlie Monroe Copyright: Sony/ATV Acuff Rose Music, Chrysalis Music Ltd.
Contributed by William S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tom canterbury
on North Amerikay
the great accapella version by kevin on tribute to their harpist