James Joyce ( 1882 – 1941) was an Irish novelist, short story writer, and poet. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde and is regarded as one of the most influential and important authors of the 20th century.
Joyce is best known for Ulysses (1922), a landmark and beloved work in which the episodes of Homer's Odyssey are paralleled in an array of contrasting literary styles, perhaps most prominent among these the stream of consciousness technique he utilised exquisitely with Episode 18 Penelope - Molly Bloom's Soliloquy.
PADDY MOLONEY is the founder and leader of six-time Grammy award winners, The Chieftains. A composer and musician of world renown, his legacy can only be briefly touched upon in this bio. He is known the world over, not only for his innovative and groundbreaking work in traditional Irish music but as a pioneering force behind the exploration of Celtic culture and its history throughout the world. Paddy Moloney has been an Irish cultural ambassador for over 60 years, laying the foundations for Irish artists worldwide.
Through his research and recordings, exploring Irish roots in Breton, Galician, Country, Bluegrass, Cuban Mexican music, and beyond, he has created a vast body of work. Known for his innovative collaborations, his albums with the Chieftains include guest performances by Paul McCartney, Art Garfunkel, Sting, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Van Morrison, James Galway, Joni Mitchell and Liam Neeson to name but a few.
Paddy has composed, produced and performed on numerous film scores including Gangs of New York, Barry Lyndon, Agnes Browne, Tristan and Isolde, Treasure Island, The Water Horse, Far and Away, The Grey Fox, the PBS/Disney mini-series The Long Journey Home, The Ballad of the Irish Horse (for National Geographic) and many, many more.
His insatiable passion for music and his genius leadership of The Chieftains, led to 51 albums (five of them #1 on Billboard World Music), 6 Grammys, 18 nominations, an Oscar, a Genie and an Emmy.
But most of all he has given the world a sublime body of work, and we are very fortunate to have his exquisite music included in Yes! Reflections of Molly Bloom. He and his work are the very soul of the project.
He spent 60 years being a musical mentor for many of the world's greatest living artists. He was universally loved, admired and respected. Paddy Moloney: Piper. Proud Dubliner. Loving husband, father and grandfather.
AEDÍN MOLONEY is an award-winning actress, director and film maker, with a career spanning 30 decades and two continents. She is founder and producing artistic director of Fallen Angel Theatre, a New York City based company focusing on works by Irish and British Women, since 2003. She began her career in 1989 playing Molser in the tremendously successful production of The Plough and The Stars, at the Gaiety Theatre, directed by Joe Dowling.
Her deep appreciation of James Joyce, Ulysses and Molly Bloom began as a girl and Aedín has made it a lifetime study to shape her unique performance of the monologue. In 2017 she brought to fruition a longtime vision to incorporate music into her performance as an extension of Mollys inner world. She collaborated with her father, Paddy Moloney, (composer and leader of The Chieftains) to produce a double album "Reflections of Molly Bloom" featuring the unabridged Penelope chapter. The album was produced under her own label, Wild Mountain Flower.
She began work on adapting the Penelope chapter for the stage in 2003. Renowned writer, Colum McCann, partnered with her in 2019 to complete the adaptation "Yes! Reflections of Molly Bloom," for its wildly successful world premiere at The Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City. Aedín was honored by The Outer Critics Circle and nominated by The Off-Broadway Alliance for her solo performance.
In 2020, Aedin directed and performed Yes! Reflections of Molly Bloom, for an Onscreen Performance at the Irish Rep while under Covid lockdown. This too was critically acclaimed and was listed in The Wall Street Journal as the Best on camera theatre during the pandemic.
In 2022, following sold out performances of Yes! at The Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris, Aedin returned to the Irish Rep for a 2nd successful production of Yes!
Previous roles at the Irish Rep include: Dancing at Lughnasa, The Dead, 1904, The Playboy of the Western World, The Shadow of a Gunman and Airswimming
She originated the role of George Eliot in the premiere production of A Most Dangerous Woman at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, winning her a Best Actress NJ Spotlight Award.
Other recent roles include Women Without Men (The Mint), The Alchemist (STNJ) and When I was a Girl I used to Scream and Shout (Fallen Angel). Her most recent TV credits include: “The Exorcist” and “The Knick.” She played the role of Eva Joyce in the film “Nora” (based on the life of Nora Barnacle).
She recently directed Melissa Gilbert in My Brilliant Divorce by Geraldine Aron for Fallen Angel. In 2021 she dived into the world of Video Editing, creating the very popular series, Alone Together – with her most recent video project, Rising, winning her The Spirit of the Festival Award from Origin Theatre.
Aedín was born and raised in Dublin…the best city in the world! She is a graduate of The Samuel Beckett Theatre Centre, Trinity College. Yes! Reflections of Molly Bloom is dedicated to her beloved Father, Paddy Moloney.
COLUM MCCANN is the author of seven novels, three collections of stories and two works of non-fiction. Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, he has been the recipient of many international honours, including the U.S National Book Award, the International Dublin Literary Prize, a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the French government, election to the Irish arts academy, several European awards, the 2010 Best Foreign Novel Award in China, and an Oscar nomination. In 2017 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts. His work has been published in over 40 languages. He is the President and co-founder of the non-profit global story exchange organisation, Narrative 4. He is the Thomas Hunter Writer in Residence in Hunter College, in New York, where he lives with his wife Allison and their family. His most recent novel, Apeirogon, became an immediate New York Times best-seller and won several major international awards. His first major non-fiction book, American Mother, will be published in January 202