Cherish the Ladies

Few bands can claim to have begun as a concert series, but Cherish the Ladies did, opening in New York in January 1985 as a showcase for women in a male-dominated scene. Mick Moloney conceived the idea, and the name came from a traditional Irish jig. Today this American female group plays Celtic music, with albums that mix instrumental tunes and songs with vocals, and flute and tin whistle at its centre under leader Joanie Madden.

Madden, born in the Bronx to Irish parents, became the first American to win the senior All-Ireland tin whistle title in 1984, and has led the group since 1985. It has launched the careers of many leading Celtic women, among them Eileen Ivers, Winifred Horan, Cathie Ryan, Heidi Talbot and Aoife Clancy. Over the past thirty-nine years the band has toured North and South America, the UK, Europe, New Zealand and Australia, with step dancers on every stage. Their album The Girls Won't Leave the Boys Alone, mostly songs, features Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger and The Clancy Brothers, and they contributed a track to The Celtic Album with the Boston Pops, a Grammy-nominated record.