Founded in Dublin in 1962, The Chieftains (Paddy Moloney, Kevin Conneff, Sean Keane, and Matt Molloy) championed an authentic Irish sound that quickly earned them an international reputation.

After recording four best selling albums, the group garnered a whole new audience in 1975 with the soundtrack to the Stanley Kubrick film Barry Lyndon, which featured their first hit single, "Women Of Ireland" and earned them an Oscar. Extensive international touring followed, as well as an extraordinary string of genre-defining albums, including such standout as Bonaparte's Retreat, Boil The Breakfast Early and Chieftains In China.

In 1992 they recorded the double Grammy-winning Another Country, a groundbreaking collaboration with such American country and bluegrass legends as Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson and Chet Atkins and ten years later they returned to Music City to continue their creative cross-pollination with the above mentioned Down The Old Plank Road and Further Down The Old Plank Road, featuring Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, Alison Krauss and a host of others.

It was shortly after the Nashville project was complete that long time member Derek Bell passed away and a year later, the group staged the special tribute concerts that resulted in Live From Dublin, broadcast live on Irish radio. Proceeds from the historic events went to support the prestigious Chieftains Scholarship at the Irish World Music Centre at the University of Limerick.