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.
The Boar's Head
The Chieftains Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary.
And I pray you, my masters, be merry
Quot estis in convivio (Translation: As many as are in the feast)
CHORUS
Caput apri defero (Translation: The boar's head I offer)
Reddens laudes Domino (Translation: Giving praises to the Lord)
The boar's head, as I understand,
Is the rarest dish in all this land,
Which thus bedeck'd with a gay garland
Let us servire cantico. (Translation: Let us serve with a song)
CHORUS
Our steward hath provided this
In honour of the King of Bliss;
Which, on this day to be served is
In Reginensi atrio. (Translation: In the Queen's hall)
CHORUS
The boar's head in hand bear I,
Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary.
And I pray you, my masters, be merry
Quot estis in convivio (Translation: As many as are in the feast)
CHORUS
In the traditional Christmas carol "The Boar's Head," the singer is holding a boar's head decorated with bays and rosemary, which he brings to the table as a rare and prized dish for the feast. He urges the guests to be merry and then leads them in a song of praise to the Lord for the bounty before them. The lyrics reveal that the dish is being prepared in honor of the King of Bliss and will be served later in the Queen's hall.
The song has its origins in medieval England, where boar hunting was a popular sport among royalty and nobility. Boar meat was considered a rare delicacy and was often served as the main course at Christmas feasts. The boar's head itself was traditionally presented whole, with an apple or orange in its mouth and decorated with herbs and spices.
The song itself is believed to date back to the 14th century, with some variations appearing as early as the 12th century. It has survived as a popular carol in England and has been performed by numerous artists, including The Chieftains.
Line by Line Meaning
The boar's head in hand bear I
I am carrying the boar's head in my hand
Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary.
It is decorated with bays and rosemary
And I pray you, my masters, be merry
I ask all of you to be joyful
Quot estis in convivio
As many as are at the feast
Caput apri defero
I offer the head of the boar
Reddens laudes Domino
Giving praises to the Lord
The boar's head, as I understand,
As far as I know, the boar's head
Is the rarest dish in all this land,
It is the most unique delicacy in this land
Which thus bedeck'd with a gay garland
And so it is decorated with a festive garland
Let us servire cantico.
Let us serve it with a song.
Our steward hath provided this
Our steward has arranged for this
In honour of the King of Bliss;
To honor the joyful King
Which, on this day to be served is
And it is to be served on this day
In Reginensi atrio.
In the Queen's hall.
Contributed by Leo G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
tom canterbury
on North Amerikay
the great accapella version by kevin on tribute to their harpist