Joanie Madden is one of the most iconic and influential figures in traditional Irish music, recognized globally for her groundbreaking contributions as a musician, composer, and cultural ambassador.

Born in the Woodlawn section of the Bronx, Joanie proudly celebrates her deep Irish roots. Her mother, Helen, hails from County Clare, and her father, Joe, was a famed accordionist and bandleader from County Galway. Raised in a musically rich household, Joanie was immersed in traditional Irish music from an early age, which shaped her future as a global champion of the genre.

Joanie made history as the first American to win the prestigious All-Ireland Championship on the whistle, and she also holds All-Ireland titles on the flute. With over 500,000 solo albums sold—led by her beloved Song of the Irish Whistle series—Joanie is the top-selling whistle player in history. She has recorded 24 albums and contributed to over 200 others, including three Grammy Award-winning projects.

Her musical journey has taken her across the globe, performing alongside luminaries such as Pete Seeger, Sinéad O’Connor, Vince Gill, Don Henley, David Gray, Steve Earle, and Tommy Emmanuel. Her flute and whistle playing has graced the award-winning soundtracks of Ken Burns’ PBS documentaries New York and The Way West, and she earned a Peabody Award for her work on HBO’s The Complete Angler.

Joanie’s extraordinary impact has been recognized with numerous accolades. She has been named one of Irish America Magazine’s Top 100 Irish Americans, awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Music Awards, and was honored with a street named after her and Cherish the Ladies in the Bronx. She was the first Irish musician to win the USA Artist Fellowship and was named Female Musician of the Year by American Celtic Listeners Radio. In 2021, Joanie received the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship, a distinguished honor presented to nine “national living treasures” each year for lifetime contributions to American culture. Most recently, she was inducted into the 2024 Irish American Hall of Fame.

Joanie continues to be an unstoppable force in preserving and advancing Irish traditional music. Her leadership, creativity, and commitment to cultural heritage have made her a beacon of inspiration in the global Irish community.