The leader of the bands

In an interview given several years ago, Paddy Moloney reflected on the role of the Chieftains: "More than 30 years ago I had a dream like Martin Luther King, and that was a dream to spread the gospel about Irish Music and what it really was. Because a lot of people in America thought it all started with When Irish Eyes are Smiling and Did Your Mother Come From Ireland? - all those tearjerkers. But there's more to it than that. It's a great, great music and the Chieftains have their own magical way of putting it across." Since their foundation in 1963, the Chieftains have done an enormous amount for Irish music. John Glatt's biography really only scratches the surface in its presentation of their story but it still makes for a very entertaining read.

Glatt is a music journalist and has previously written biographies of Bill Graham and River Phoenix. In The Chieftains, the author stays largely in the background, offering little in the way of commentary and relying largely on lengthy interview quotes. In fact, a large part of the story is told through quotes from Paddy Moloney. This material is all tightly organised and well presented - it needs to be, since Glatt attempts to cover the involved and eventful history of the band from its formation in 1963, as well as covering its origins in some detail and providing biographical backgrounds for all the musicians.

In the early stages, Glatt rightly emphasises the importance of Sean O'Riada, since O'Riada's ensemble, Ceoltoiri Cualann, embodied many of the musical principles which Moloney would later apply to the Chieftains. Their early albums were all released on the newly formed Claddagh label founded by Garech Browne, and this is an interesting story in itself. Browne proved (contrary to popular opinion) that there was a large audience for traditional music on record.

Glatt writes well on Claddagh and its importance to the Chieftains. However, he is rather weak when it comes to analysing the status of traditional music in these formative years. He thinks it enough to say that it was very unfashionable in the 1940s and 1950s and then goes on to observe that O'Riada's Mise Eire "helped to create a new interest in traditional music as Irish people began to take a new pride in themselves and proudly rediscover their past" - such a casual, sweeping statement is almost meaningless.

The Chieftains' gradual rise to international prominence makes for a remarkable story and is narrated at a brisk pace. One of the key moments came in 1975 when the ambitious American promoter, Jo Lustig, booked them to play the Albert Hall. It was a massive gamble, but it paid off as the concert was a sell-out and a huge success. Four years later, they were playing to an audience of over a million for the Papal mass in the Phoenix Park.

In recent years, the Chieftains have collaborated with an impressive array of music legends, from Van Morrison and Sting to Ry Cooder and Frank Zappa. They also staged extravagant dance shows with Michael Flatley and Jean Butler, long before River dance. Glatt covers all of this very well and offers brief but insightful portraits of the various stars.

For a book on a musical group, there is surprisingly little detailed discussion of music. On the few occasions when Glatt attempts to get analytical the result is less than satisfactory. Sample quote: "Moloney's uilleann pipes swirl up into waves of sound and seem to crash down on the surf of Conneff's bodhran."

Don't expect to find anything too critical in this book, and don't expect any major revelations about the band. Glatt has produced a light, undemanding history of the Chieftains.

Alex Moffatt is a freelance music journalist and a regular contributor to the magazine, Irish Music