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.
O Holy Night
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine
Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Let all within us praise His holy name
Chorus
The lyrics of "O Holy Night" convey the essence of the Christmas spirit with poetic beauty. The beginning phrase "Oh holy night!" evokes a sense of wonder and reverence for the sacredness of the night that Jesus was born. The shining stars of the night sky symbolize the hope and promise of a new era, as the baby Jesus brings salvation to a world that had been lost in sin.
The next few lines describe the long-awaited arrival of the Messiah, who had come to rescue humanity from its sinful ways. Through Him, people could rediscover the true value of their souls and the inherent goodness of their being. The line "Long lay the world in sin and error pining," suggests the extent of people's long suffering as they waited for the Savior to arrive.
The chorus of the song has a very powerful message - to fall on one's knees before the divine presence of the Messiah. The lyrics urge the listeners to listen to the angelic voices and acknowledge the beauty of the night that the baby Jesus was born. They remind us that this was a holy, awe-inspiring night that still fills our hearts with joy and hope.
The song also speaks of Jesus's teachings and the principles of love and peace that He stood for. The lines "Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love, and His gospel is peace," highlight the importance of love and compassion in a world that is often divided by hate and intolerance. The song further emphasizes that Jesus came to break the chains of slavery and oppression, and to make us all free to live as His brothers and sisters.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh holy night!
The night is holy and special.
The stars are brightly shining
The stars are shining brightly in the sky.
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Today is the night when the Savior was born.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
For a long time, the world was full of sin and wrongdoings.
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
Until the Savior arrived and gave worth to our souls.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
We feel a sense of hope and rejoice despite the world's weariness.
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
We see a new and magnificent morning rising over the horizon!
Fall on your knees
Kneel down in honor and worship.
Oh hear the angel voices
Listen to the voices of the angels.
Oh night divine
The night is divine and holy.
Oh night when Christ was born
The night when the Savior was born.
Truly He taught us to love one another
The Savior taught us the importance of loving one another.
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Love and peace are the foundations of His teachings.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
He will break the chains of slavery because we are all brothers.
And in His name all oppression shall cease
In His name, all oppression will come to a stop.
Let all within us praise His holy name
Let us all praise His holy name with our hearts and souls.
Oh night divine
The night is divine and holy.
Oh night divine
The night is divine and holy.
Contributed by Cameron W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tom canterbury
on North Amerikay
the great accapella version by kevin on tribute to their harpist