The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1963, best known for being the first band to make Irish traditional music popular around the world. The band's name came from the book Death of a Chieftain by Irish author John Montague.http://members.shaw.ca/chieftains/history.html The word chieftain itself derives from the English language translation of the Irish Gaelic word taoiseach, meaning a clan chief or leader. Some historians suggest that in ancient Ireland (whence these terms originate), a taoiseach was a minor king. Assisted early on by Garech Browne, they signed with his company Claddagh Records. They needed financial success abroad, and succeeded in this, as within a few years their third album's sleeve note section was printed in three languages. The band has recorded many albums of instrumental Irish folk music, as well as multiple collaborations with popular musicia

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