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.
Il Est Né / Ca Berger
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
jouez hautbois, résonnez musettes
Il est né le divin enfant
chantons tous son avènement
depuis plus de quatre mille ans,
nous le promettaient les prophètes
depuis plus de quatre mille ans,
Il est né le divin enfant
jouez hautbois, résonnez musettes
Il est né le divin enfant
chantons tous son avènement
ah! qu'il est beau, qu'il est charmant
ah! que ses grâces sont parfaites
ah! qu'il est beau, qu'il est charmant
qu'il est doux ce divin enfant
Il est né le divin enfant
jouez hautbois, résonnez musettes
Il est né le divin enfant
chantons tous son avènement
⁂
çà, bergers, assemblons-nous
allons voir le Messie
cherchons cet enfant si doux
dans les bras de Marie
allons voir il nous appelle tous
ô sort digne d'envie
laissons là tout le troupeau
qu'il erre à l'aventure
que sans nous sur ce coteau
il cherche sa pâture
allons voir dans un petit berceau
l'auteur de la nature
The Chieftains' "Il Est Né / Ca Berger" is a French Christmas carol that has been around for over 4000 years. The song celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and talks about how the prophets have been promising it for a long time. The first verse of the song asks musicians to play the oboe and bagpipes as they celebrate the coming of the divine child. The lyrics create a joyful and celebratory mood around the coming of the child, as they encourage everyone to sing along.
The second verse of the song is an invitation to shepherds to gather together and go see the Messiah. The shepherd's response to the call to see the child is an enthusiastic one as they leave everything behind to go and worship the child. The song is sung in a call and response format, with the chorus repeating after each verse's end. The song's final line is a call to nature to witness the birth of the divine child.
Line by Line Meaning
Il est né le divin enfant
The divine child has been born
jouez hautbois, résonnez musettes
Play the oboe, ring the bagpipes
Il est né le divin enfant
The divine child has been born
chantons tous son avènement
Let us all sing of his arrival
depuis plus de quatre mille ans,
For over four thousand years,
nous le promettaient les prophètes
The prophets had promised us
depuis plus de quatre mille ans,
For over four thousand years,
nous attendions cet heureux temps.
We had been awaiting this joyful time.
ah! qu'il est beau, qu'il est charmant
Ah! How beautiful and charming he is
ah! que ses grâces sont parfaites
Ah! How perfect his grace is
ah! qu'il est beau, qu'il est charmant
Ah! How beautiful and charming he is
qu'il est doux ce divin enfant
How sweet this divine child is
çà, bergers, assemblons-nous
Come, shepherds, let us gather
allons voir le Messie
Let us go see the Messiah
cherchons cet enfant si doux
Let us search for this sweet child
dans les bras de Marie
In Mary's arms
allons voir il nous appelle tous
Let us go, he calls to us all
ô sort digne d'envie
Oh, fortunate fate
laissons là tout le troupeau
Let us leave the entire flock
qu'il erre à l'aventure
To wander on its own
que sans nous sur ce coteau
Without us on this hillside
il cherche sa pâture
To search for its food
allons voir dans un petit berceau
Let us go see in a small manger
l'auteur de la nature
The creator of nature
Contributed by Cooper A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@noelryan6341
I absolutely love this Christmas compilation. Vale Burgess Meredith, Kate McGarrigle, Derek Bell, Paddy Moloney! Their memory and spirit lives on through their recordings!
@Eochaidh32
My mother and grandmother were French speaking Canadians, although my mother was half Irish. My Mom loved the Bells of Dublin album, especial this piece by the McGarrigle sisters.
@radiomandelbrot5868
and your generation killed that heritage, didn't you
@noelryan6341
You can be proud of both heritages. I loved the scene in the Robert De Niro thriller 'Ronin' set in the South of France where Kate & Anna McGarrigle are background singing French Carols "Il Est Né / Ca Berger" during the Christmas Procession scene. RIP Kate McGarrigle, Burgess Meredith, Derek Bell 7 Paddy Moloney.
@wolfthequarrelsome504
You can't kill us.@@radiomandelbrot5868
@nickflynn7839
Beautiful French Canadian carols,so calming with Paddy's arrangement. God rest him..
@allornothing1537
best Christmas album
@seamusmcardle2610
beautiful.