Mick Moloney...

In April 2014, Mick Moloney will receive the 2014 Gradam Ceoil Special Contribution Award. Tony Lawless, founder and editor of TradConnect.com asked me to write a short paragraph or two on the impact Mick has had on Irish Music here in the States. Sooo much more can (and will) be written about Mick but here is the snippet I contributed to the multi-authored upcoming article:

“I’ve known Mick Moloney since 1974, shortly after Mick moved to America and began his graduate studies and his field work on Irish Music in America. As a young teenage musician, Mick’s impact on me was massive. Here was this well known and respected musician and future scholar from Ireland interested in me and my music, which was unheard of at that time. Traditional music in Chicago was widespread within the Irish and Irish-American community since the early 1900’s but outside the community, not so much. Mick turned that around almost immediately, exposing me along with my friends and fellow musicians Liz Carroll and Michael Flatley plus the musicians we learnt from such as Johnny McGreevy, Kevin Henry, Terry "Cuz" Teahan, Eleanor Kane Neary, Joe Shannon and countless others to a national stage through numerous recordings, concerts, and festival appearances which Mick either produced, enabled, found funding, or by sheer will, created and fostered -- all while doing what he loves and does best -- playing tunes and singing songs.

Mick, Robbie O’Connell, and I toured extensively in the mid-1980’s through the 1990’s and recorded a few albums including “There Were Roses” and “Kilkelly” which included the focus of much of Mick’s work here, the 22-minute Irish-American operetta “The Green Fields of America” (it was before CD’s really took off so it could have easily been 72 minutes long and only scratched the surface)!

I am proud to know Mick Moloney and honored to have performed with him the music we both love over the last four decades. Congratulations on the 2014 Gradam Ceoil Special Contribution Award -- you’re a mighty man, Mickeen!!”

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