BBC Radio Ulster news reports this evening about Paddy Moloney's demise included short interviews with and tributes from musicians James Galway and Colm Sands. And it's the second time in less than a week that Irish President Michael D. Higgins has paid tribute to an important figure in Irish tradtional music - Tony McMahon and Paddy Maloney).

Not so long ago, Irish radio was playing accounts of Seán O Riada, Irish composer and arranger and speaker/broadcaster who died half a century ago. Seán Ó Riada formed Ceolteóirí Chualann, the precursor of the Chieftains. Unlike the céilí bands of the time, which would play mainly in unison, Ceoltóirí Chualann and later The Chieftains featured solo spots for the various instruments. Ó Riada and Ceoltóirí Chualann are also attributed with reviving (or finding new ways for) the use of the bodhrán drum in Irish music. So they had a huge influence on the music that followed.