This article is part of an interview that I did with Joannie Madden . It looks at her Irish background and the music of what happens .

Joannie Madden is the leader of one of Americas best traditional bands ,
That go by the name of “Cherish The Ladies” .
I was delighted to have the time to speak with her about her talent and the music she loves and plays . We started to talk and the hours passes like time stood still . We spoke of traditional music and dance , we spoke of Ireland and America , and her connection with all of that .

Share with me if you would part of the interview that I recorded with Joannie for broadcast on my three Irish radio programs Craic With Mc here in Australia .

“Joannie you grew up in New York with a great love for Irish music . Tell me a little about those early childhood years “

“ I was raised in New York and there was so many masters who played traditional Irish music like Joe Burke and Eamon Mc Gann who where good friends of my father .
Jack Cohen , Mike Rafferty and Mike Preston were two great flute players .
I had the opportunity to grow up with these people and hang out with them .
I was always surrounded by friends who played music and I feel in love it
and its all I wanted to do .
Just because you go three thousand miles away from your own country it doesn’t mean you forget it . I feel more Irish than American . I grew up in a very Irish neighbourhood in the Bronx with an unbelievable amount of kids playing Irish music .
I played in a group called the Tara Ceili Band and we won a couple of All Irelands . All my brothers were involved with Irish sports and Irish dancing .
My brother who has his own Irish dancing school taught Jean Butler from the Riverdance Show .
There played is a great reward finding out about your Irish culture . The more you get to know about it , the more you discover yourself .”


“ Tell me about Cherish The Ladies . I’ve heard so much about the band”

“ We play all over the place and take Irish music into little holes to try and educate people about Irish culture , music and dance .
We make a living at what we do and enjoy ourselves in the process .
Its really my main bread and butter being part of the group .
Aoife is the daughter of Bobby Clancy from the Clancy Brothers , she is our singer . We love to share the Craic on stage . We all love what we do and have all been together for fifteen . The line up has five musicians, a singer and a couple of step dancers . We have performed at Radio City music Hall The Kennedy Centre and Carnegie Hall . We travel two hundred days a year
And are one of the most successful groups here .”

“ You have played the Irish whistle on an album called “Celtic Twilight” which sold over five hundred thousand copies . You have two albums of your own
called Songs Of The Irish Whistle I and 2 .”

“Yea I got into making Songs Of The Irish Whistle “ just as a kind of lark and was astounded by the success of it. “

“On the album you have some excellent musicians supporting you . Tell me a little about Gabriel Donahue and Gerry O’Sullivan?”

“Gabriel is a great friend of mine . He comes from County Galway . Myself , Eileen and he played together for years here in New York for years before we all kind of went and did our own thing but we love to get together and play as a trio whenever we get the chance . Gerry O’Sullivan is a great piper . He lives about five minutes from me here in Yonkers , New York . His father came from Dublin. Gerry originally took up the bagpipes and then went over to Ireland to study the Uilean pipes and is now one of the best pipers in America and he is a great friend .“

“ Listening to people like John Whelan and friends on the album Celtic Crossroads has made a great impression on me . The quality of musicianship is very high . Its no surprise to notice that you have included some of these people on your albums “Songs Of The Irish Whistle “

“John Doan was passing through on his way to Ireland and I involved him on the opening track. He plays a very unusual instrument a twenty stringed guitar harp . I met John Whelan when I was about sixteen . A man of Irish parents who came to New York on an Irish music tour that his father was involved with. A great entertainer . Just a great guy . He recorded an album with Eileen Ivers called “Fresh Take .“ Have you heard of Eileen Ivers?

“ She’s the fiddle player with the Riverdance Show .“

“That’s right . She is also my best friend and was part of Cherish The Ladies until the Riverdance came along . I went to school with Eileen . She lived a couple of blocks away and we grew up in that same neighbourhood which we were very proud to be part of It was very Irish based .”

Your parents left Ireland for America in the 1950’s . Apart from your Dad who was an accordion player and yourself of course are there any other musicians in the family ?”

“ I have five brothers and one sister and I’m the only one of them who plays traditional music much to the delight and dismay of my father . My mother once said , Once the bug bites, that’s it “

“I have heard that the Milwaukee Folk Festival is a great place to hear and see Irish music and dance . Could you tell me a little about that scene ?“

“There are permanent festival grounds built there by the breweries in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which would be about and hour and a half from Chicago. So all the squagmires come up and people fly in from everywhere . The grounds are spectacular . Its right on the river . Right on Lake Michigan It is quite an experience and a great Irish festival here . Over a hundred thousand people get there . The line up is incredible . Like you name it . the Black family reunion , Tommy Makem, Paddy Reilly ,Mar Duff Moving Cloud, The Mc Peak family, Solas and Cherish The Ladies . I mean I can only just scratch the surface .“

“How many Festivals do Cherish The Ladies get to ?”

”We’ve been to the Belfast Folk Festival a few times ,The Celtic Connection, Glasgow, Germany, Sweden and all over the US”

“ Gerry, a good mate of mine was on the road The Fureys tour and was in Tommy Makems bar in New York and he was also in Fitzpatricks . How many Irish pubs are there in New York ?”

“ There’s one on every corner . I could take you on a tour. Ha! Ha! There is always something happening . Just last week I had a pint with Andy Irvine aat Cape Carneys on 50th Street between 2nd and 3rd . He just rang me and we met there . They have a Thursday night session here in New York . There is Irish music here in New York seven nights a week . Step dancing is very big here . There is a place called Flannerys on 14th Street in Manhattan where there is Irish dancing every night .”

“Joannie I’d like to thank you for spending some time talking with me . It was great “

“Thanks Paul . If you come to New York don’t forget to give me a call and I’ll take you for an Irish pub tour . “

“No problem “

THE END