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.
Once in Royal David's City
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little child.
He came down to earth from heaven,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior Holy.
Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in heaven,
Set at God's right hand on high;
Where like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.
The first verse of The Chieftains' "Once in Royal David's City" describes a humble yet significant occurrence in Christianity: the birth of Jesus. The song tells of how Mary, a meek and gentle mother, laid her newborn son in a manger, which is a feeding trough for animals. The image of Jesus being born in a lowly cattle shed emphasizes the contrasting themes of royalty and poverty that are present in the lyrics, and also suggests that Jesus is a savior who identifies with the downtrodden and disenfranchised members of society.
The second verse continues the story of Jesus, who came down from heaven to live among mortals. He was the God and Lord of all, and yet his dwelling place was a stable and his bed was a manger. He lived among the poor and the unimportant, countering the elitism and exclusivity that was prevalent in the Jewish society of his time. The phrase "Savior Holy" suggests that Jesus is not only a teacher and leader, but a redeemer and forgiver of sins as well.
The third verse of the song reiterates the idea that we will not be able to physically see Jesus on earth, but we will see him in heaven. He will be seated at God's right hand, which is a position of honor and power. The chorus declares that his followers will be shining like stars, dressed in white robes and waiting around him. This ending emphasizes the hope and promise that Jesus instilled in his disciples and that the Christian faith continues to promote – that those who believe in him will have eternal life in heaven.
Line by Line Meaning
Once in royal David's city
In the city of David, there was a time
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
A humble stable stood,
Where a mother laid her baby
Where a mother laid her child
In a manger for His bed:
In a manger where He slept
Mary was that mother mild,
That mother was Mary, gentle and kind,
Jesus Christ her little child.
Her little one was Jesus Christ.
He came down to earth from heaven,
He came down from heaven to earth
Who is God and Lord of all,
He is God and Lord of all
And His shelter was a stable,
He found shelter in a stable
And His cradle was a stall;
His cradle was a stall
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
He lived among the poor, mean, and lowly
Lived on earth our Savior Holy.
Our Holy Savior lived on this earth.
Not in that poor lowly stable,
We won't find him in that poor and humble stable,
With the oxen standing by,
With the oxen watching over Him,
We shall see Him; but in heaven,
But in heaven we'll see Him
Set at God's right hand on high;
Where he'll sit at God's right hand on high
Where like stars His children crowned
And His children, like stars, will be crowned
All in white shall wait around.
They'll wait around in white.
Contributed by Alexandra K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tom canterbury
on North Amerikay
the great accapella version by kevin on tribute to their harpist