Long before U2, The Cranberries, Boyzone, B*witched or even the Boomtown Rats, there were The Chieftains. Indeed, some would have it that the sequence of events went something like this: First of all, the Earth cooled and then from out of the primordial mist came the strains of Paddy Moloney’s Uilleann pipes accompanied, naturally, by something equally unlikely, the banjo, or a piano maybe. Actual visual evidence for this theory can be seen in cave paintings discovered in the hills surrounding the seaport of Vigo, in northwestern Spain.

Well, maybe not. What is sure is that for well over thirty years, countless Grammy nominations and six Grammy awards, Paddy Moloney and The Chieftains have carried the torch of Irish music and Irish musicians to new boundaries across the globe. Their name is synonymous with traditional Irish music. Think about that. That’s quite a responsibility, particularly when you consider that for many of those years they carried the load on their own.

Theirs is a talent and a dynamic that is truly original and will never, could never, be repeated, as evident on the 17 original tracks that are Water From The Well. Recorded in such memorable places as Matt’s pub in Westport; the Glens of Antrim and the seaside town of Dingle, and others, Water From The Well absorbs the music of these Irish counties and molds them into something far richer and greater.  The Chieftains don’t simply take traditional music and bring it boldly to the rest of the world; they watch, look, listen, learn and create groundbreaking results in the process. It can truly be claimed that not only are The Chieftains world-class musicians but that they helped invent what we now know as world music.

Water From The Well brings The Chieftains most innovative traditional album to the world. This collection draws together tunes from the length and breadth of the island of Ireland. It is in the truest sense a musical journey that sees The Chieftains travel back to their roots, revisiting the people and places that have inspired their own distinctive style. With this album each band member - Paddy Moloney, Sean Keane, Kevin Conneff, Derek Bell, Martin Fay and Matt Molloy – hand-picked traditional music from Ireland to bring to their fans globally. Water From The Well is The Chieftains at their traditional best, collaborating with special guests once again, but this time with fellow traditional players – friends old and new.

The Chieftains have been pioneers, collaborators, innovators, multiple Grammy winners, and one of the most enduring and successful bands to ever come out of Ireland, but first, last and always the Chieftains have been about music –traditional Irish music. While others in the genre looked inwards with a stifling insularity, the Chieftains always looked out, stretching both themselves and the music, eager to learn, confident of their strengths and ---most importantly—fearless of the consequences. They are the original collaborators, playing and recording to Grammy-winning excellence with anyone who’d stand still long enough.

The Essential Chieftains

Further Down the Old Plank Road

Down the Old Plank Road

The Wide World Over

Tears of Stone

Long Black Veil

The Bells of Dublin

Live From Patrick Street

Cherish the Ladies: Woman of the House

Tannahill Weavers: Arnish Light