The Irish Passion of Joannie Madden

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