Ceoltóirí Chualann (pronounced ) was an Irish traditional band, led by Seán Ó Riada, which included many of the founding members of

The Chieftains The Chieftains were a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous w ...

. Ceoltóirí is the Irish word for musicians, and Cualann is the name of an area just outside Dublin where Ó Riada lived. Ó Riada's work with Ceoltóirí Chualann is credited with revitalizing the use of the

bodhrán The bodhrán (, ; plural ''bodhráin'') is a frame drum used in Irish music ranging from in diameter, with most drums measuring . The sides of the drum are deep. A Goatskin (material), goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads or ot ...

as a

percussion instrument A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

Celtic music Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celts (modern), Celtic people of Northwestern Europe (the modern Celtic nations). It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and ...

. In 1960 Ó Riada was looking for musicians to perform music for the play "The Song of the Anvil" by Bryan MacMahon.

Paddy Moloney Paddy Moloney (; 1 August 1938 – 12 October 2021) was an Irish musician, composer, and record producer. He co-founded and led the Irish musical group the Chieftains, playing on all of their 44 albums. He was particularly associated with the re ...

, at the age of 20, was called to participate in the project, along with his friend Sean Potts on tin whistle, Sonny Brogan on accordion and John Kelly on fiddle. They rehearsed weekly in Ó Riada's house in Galloping Green, on the outskirts of Dublin. Following its success, Ó Riada had the idea of forming Ceoltóirí Chualann, a band to play traditional Irish songs with accompaniment and traditional dance tunes and slow airs, arranged with instruments: harpsichord, bodhran, piano, fiddle, accordions, flute, pipes and whistles. The idea of actually arranging folk music, or dance music, had been done on at least one or two 78rpm recordings in the past, but they were folk tunes done in a classical way, highly orchestrated. Another aim was to revitalize the work of blind

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

ist and composer Turlough O'Carolan. The band was launched during the Dublin Theatre Festival in September 1960, at the Shelbourne Hotel, at an event called ''Reacaireacht an Riadaigh'' (Ó Riada's Recital). Included in the program were traditional singers, writer

Seán Ó Ríordáin Seán Pádraig Ó Ríordáin (3 December 1916 – 21 February 1977), sometimes referred to as an Ríordánach, was an Irish language poet and later a newspaper columnist. He is credited with introducing European themes to Irish poetry, and is wi ...

and poet Seán Ó Tuama. In March of the following year Ó Riada recorded the first of a series of radio programmes for which he retained the name ''Reacaireacht an Riadaigh'', and included music played by Ceoltóirí Chualann. Soon after the band's formation, Peadar Mercier and Seán Keane joined. Ceoltóirí Chualann continued to play until 1969. Their music was featured in the 1968 documentary, '' The Village'', by Mark McCarty (director) and Paul Hockings (anthropologist). During 1969 they recorded two albums, ''Ó Riada'' and ''Ó Riada Sa Gaiety''. The latter of those two albums was not released until after 1971, when Seán Ó Riada died.

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*''An Poc ar Buile EP'': Seán Ó Riada with Seán Ó Sé and Ceoltóirí Chualann GL2 (196?). *''Néilí EP'': Seán Ó Riada with Seán Ó Sé and Ceoltóirí Chualann GL3 (196?). *''Mo Chailín Bán EP'': Seán Ó Riada with Seán Ó Sé and Ceoltóirí Chualann GL5 (196?). *''Reacaireacht an Riadaigh'': Gael-Linn CEF 010 (LP, 1961). *''The Playboy of the Western World'': Gael-Linn CEF 012 (LP, 1962). *: Gael-Linn CEF 015 (LP, 1967). *''Ding Dong'': Gael-Linn CEF 016 (LP, 1967). *''An Poc ar Buile (single)'': Seán Ó Riada with Seán Ó Sé and Ceoltóirí Chualann CES 011 *''Do Bhí Bean Uasal'': Seán Ó Riada with Seán Ó Sé and Ceoltóirí Chualann CES 012 *''Ó Riada sa Gaiety with Seán Ó Sé and Ceoltóirí Chualann'': (LP, 1971) currently available a
Gael-Linn ORIADACD01
*''Ó Riada's Farewell'': Claddagh Records CC 12 (LP, 1972). *''Port na bPúcaí'' (Ó Riada solo, but with trad. material, previously unreleased recordings)
Gael-Linn ORIADACD07
(CD, 2014)

Select discography

References

Further reading