The death has occurred at his apartment in New York, at the age of 77, of well known Irish folk musician Mick Moloney who had a long association with the Johnston’s folk festival in Slane.
The Limerick man joined the Slane based Johnston’s folk group in the mid sixties and featured on their chart hits such as The Curragh Of Kildare and The Alamo alongside Paul Brady.
Moloney was the driving force behind the groups reunion for the very first Johnston’s folk festival over a decade ago and his group The Green Fields Of America headlined this years concert in May.
Moloney served as the artistic director for several major arts tours, including the Green Fields of America, an ensemble of Irish musicians, singers, and dancers which toured across the U.S. on several occasions. He produced and performed on over 70 albums and acted as advisor for scores of festivals and concerts all over America.
In 1992, Moloney received a Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. For his work in public folklore, he received a 1999 National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.[3]
Moloney was the author of Far From the Shamrock Shore: The Story of Irish American History Through Song released by Crown Publications in February 2002 with an accompanying CD on Shanachie Records. He hosted three nationally syndicated series of folk music on American Public Television; was a consultant, performer, and interviewee on the Irish Television special Bringing It All Back Home; a participant, consultant, and music arranger of the PBS documentary film Out of Ireland; and a performer on the PBS special The Irish in America: Long Journey Home.
Below is his last known recording
