1999 – Matt Molloy

Matt Molloy, Gradam Ceoil TG4 1999

From the Bothy Band in 1974 to the Chieftains today, Matt Molloy has been the standard-bearer and the inspiration for flute players in Ireland for over thirty years. He is the supreme stylist and what appears to be his effortless tone, rhythm and pitch are the products of a lifetime dedicated to perfecting his craft.

Matt was born in Ballaghadereen, County Roscommon in the heart of the famed fiddle and flute playing tradition of North Connacht. He began playing the flute at age eight and by the age of 18, he had achieved a string of successes in National Fleadh Cheoil and Oireachtas competitions. He moved to Dublin in the mid 1960′s where he started to play with the musicians who would become his colleagues in the Bothy Band, Planxty and the Chieftains.

While he is probably best known for his work with the instrumentally virtuosic and startlingly innovative Bothy Band and for almost 30 years on the road with the hugely successful Chieftains, Matt has also released several highly acclaimed solo and duet albums. His 1978 release with Tommy Peoples and Paul Brady is a treasured item in many record collections.

When he is not touring the world with the Chieftains, Matt can be found at home in Westport, where he and his wife Geraldine run the world-famous Matt Molloy’s Pub.