Nominees

Cherish the Ladies is an all-female Irish-American musical group. The group was formed in 1985 in New York. The leader, Joanie Madden, plays flute, tin whistle and sings. The other members play a wide range of instruments. Their albums contain both tunes (instrumental tracks) and songs (tracks with vocals). The name "Cherish The Ladies" is the title of an Irish tune, most famously recorded by The Chieftains on Chieftains 4.

Joanie Madden, who has Irish parents, won the senior all-Ireland championship on the tin whistle in 1984[1]. For a time Winifred Horan was a member of both Cherish the Ladies and Solas. Cathie Ryan, Heidi Talbot and Maureen Doherty Macken have also been members. The band has toured North and South America, the UK and Europe. They are normally accompanied by step dancers on stage. Their album The Girls Won't Leave the Boys Alone stands apart from their other albums in that it consists mostly of songs. It also has guest appearances by Arlo Guthrie, Tom Chapin, Pete Seeger, Eric Weissberg, Matt Molloy and The Clancy Brothers.

Róisín Dillon was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and has relocated to the United States. Her interest in music was mainly inherited from her father, Eamonn, who taught her the whistle at the tender age of 11. At the age of 13, Róisín placed 2nd in the All Ireland Competition on the tin whistle and was just picking up the fiddle as a primary instrument. At 15 she placed first in the Oireachtas Competition again on the tin whistle but since then she has been playing the fiddle exclusively. At 18 Róisín came to America for three months with a tour of musicians sponsored by "The International Fund for Ireland", and within a few years had decided to move permanently to the U.S.

Since then she has shared the stage with such musicians and singers as Scottish born singer John MacDermott and fiddler James Kelly. Her main musical influence has been the Northern style of fiddle playing from such greats as Johnny Doherty, Tommy Peoples, and Cathal Hayden.