OK, the audio file can be directly linked now (it wasn't up yet when I first posted the thread).
http://search.npr.org/cf/cmn/cmnpd01fm.cfm?PrgDate=10/14/2002&PrgID=2
In the audio, Gillian Welch sings "Katie Dear" and Alison Krause sings "Molly Bahn". The interview is much like some Mudcat threads, as Paddy talks about the connections between songs and tunes in Ireland and America, such as Molly Bahn and Polly Vaughn. It also includes a bit of Joni Mitchell's "Magdalene Laundry", with Paddy saying "I know the place, I mean, it's in Dublin, you know." Regarding the Antarctic trip for the dawn of 2000 that he took there is "Morning Has Broken".

quote from NPR notes
"Jacki Lyden talks to Paddy Moloney, leader and tin whistle player for the Irish band, The Chieftains. They've been performing for 40 years now, re-invigorating traditional Irish music and taking it around the world. To mark the four decades, the group has a CD called The Wide World Over, in which some of the group's collaborations with international artists, such as Joni Mitchell and Art Garfunkel, are reprised. The Chieftains also have another new CD, Down the Long Plank Road, recorded with country performers in Nashville, Tenn. Moloney says Irish music is strong enough to blend with sounds from elsewhere and still retain its strength. (12:30) The Wide World Over and Down the Old Plank Road, both by The Chieftains, are on the RCA Victor label." end quote

I didn't know until hearing this program that NPR reporter Jacki Lyden came from an Irish family. She talks about her aunt who is 96 and still lives in rural Ireland.

At the end Jacki Lyden banters a bit with Paddy in Gaelic and asks him to play his whistle which he brought with him. He plays "Banish Misfortune" at the end.

I think you'll enjoy hearing this interview. It opens in Real Audio.

Alice