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.
Mo Ghile Mear
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Se/ mo laoch, mo Ghile Mear
'Se/ mo Chaesar Gile Mear
Suan na/ se/an ni/ bhfuaireas fe/in
O/ chuaigh I gce/in mo Ghile Mear
Grief and pain are all I know
My heart is sore
My tears a'flow
We saw him go ....
No word we know of him...
Chorus
A proud and gallant cavalier
A high man's scion of gentle mean(?)
A fiery blade engaged to reap(?)
He'd break the bravest in the field
Chorus
Come sing his praise as sweet harps play
And proudly toast his noble frame
With spirit and with mind aflame
So wish him strength and length of day
Chorus
The song "Mo Ghile Mear" as performed by The Chieftains and Sting is a traditional Irish lament sung in the Irish language. The title of the song translates to "My Gallant Hero" and the lyrics express the grief and sorrow felt by the singer over the loss of their hero, who is described as a proud and gallant cavalier. The chorus is a tribute to this hero, with the singer praising his noble spirit and wishing for his strength and longevity.
The opening verse speaks of the singer's heartbreak and tears over the absence of their hero, whom they have not heard from since he departed. The second verse describes the hero in more detail, describing him as a member of the nobility and a skilled warrior. The final verse is a call to celebrate the hero and to wish him well.
The song has a mournful tone, but it is also imbued with a sense of admiration and respect for the hero who is being mourned. The lyrics convey a sense of the resilience of the Irish people in the face of loss and hardship, and the importance of honor and bravery in their culture.
Line by Line Meaning
Chorus: 'Se/ mo laoch, mo Ghile Mear
He is my hero, my gallant darling
'Se/ mo Chaesar Gile Mear
He is my Caesar, a bright shining star
Suan na/ se/an ni/ bhfuaireas fe/in
Peaceful sleep eludes me in the night
O/ chuaigh I gce/in mo Ghile Mear
Since my gallant darling went away
Grief and pain are all I know
My heart is heavy with nothing but sorrow
My heart is sore
My heart is aching with love and loss
My tears a'flow
Tears fall easily and often from my eyes
We saw him go ....
Without a goodbye or a farewell, he left us
No word we know of him...
We have heard no news of him since he left
A proud and gallant cavalier
He was a brave and noble warrior
A high man's scion of gentle mean(?)
He was born into a noble family of good character
A fiery blade engaged to reap(?)
He was fierce and skilled with his weapon
He'd break the bravest in the field
He was a formidable opponent who could defeat even the bravest of foes
Come sing his praise as sweet harps play
Let us honor and celebrate him with music and song
And proudly toast his noble frame
Let us raise our glasses high in honor of his noble character
With spirit and with mind aflame
Let us show our passionate admiration for him
So wish him strength and length of day
Let us hope for his continued strength and long life
Chorus
He is my hero, my gallant darling
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PADDY MOLONEY, SEAN MACREAMOINN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tom canterbury
on North Amerikay
the great accapella version by kevin on tribute to their harpist