Paddy Moloney, Irish folk music legend and founder of The Chieftains, has died at 83

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The Chieftains founder Paddy Moloney collaborated with everyone from The Rolling Stones to Emmylou Harris and The Pogues during his decades-long career.

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Lynne Sladky/AP

Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!
Paddy Moloney Of The Chieftains Plays Not My Job

Moloney was born in Donnycarney, a suburb just north of Dublin, Ireland. He formed the Chieftains in 1962. He never meant to do it full time, as he told NPR In 1975. Instead, he wanted to find the right musicians who could join him as he used traditional techniques to get «into the guts of a song,» repeating tunes over and over again to find something new. The group eventually won six Grammys, and left the world a body of work that would help connect the Irish diaspora.

«His legacy will remain with us in the music which he created and brought to the world,» read a statement from Irish President Michael D. Higgins.

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