Thomas Makem (4 November 1932 – 1 August 2007) was an Irish

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

tin whistle The tin whistle, also known as the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, a class of instrument which also includes the recorder and Native American flute. A tin whistle player is called a whistl ...

low whistle The low whistle, or concert whistle, is a variation of the traditional tin whistle/pennywhistle, distinguished by its lower pitch and larger size. It is most closely associated with the performances of British and Irish artists such as Tommy Mak ...

, guitar,

bodhrán The bodhrán (, ; plural ''bodhráin'') is a frame drum used in Irish music ranging from in diameter, with most drums measuring . The sides of the drum are deep. A Goatskin (material), goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads or ot ...

and

bagpipes Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, N ...

, and sang in a distinctive

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

. He was sometimes known as " The Bard of Armagh" (taken from a traditional song of the same name) and "The Godfather of Irish Music".

Biography

Makem was born and raised in

Keady Keady () is a town and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is south of Armagh and near the border with the Republic of Ireland. It is situated mainly in the historic barony of Armagh with six townlands in the barony of Tiranny ...

County Armagh County Armagh ( ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It is located in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and adjoins the southern shore of Lough Neagh. It borders t ...

(the "Hub of the Universe" as Makem always said), in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. His mother, Sarah Makem, was an important source of traditional Irish music, who was visited and recorded by, among others, Diane Guggenheim Hamilton, Jean Ritchie, Peter Kennedy and Sean O'Boyle. His father, Peter Makem, was a fiddler who also played the bass drum in a local pipe band named "

Oliver Plunkett Oliver Plunkett (or Oliver Plunket; ; 1 November 1625 – 1 July 1681) was the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and the last victim of the Popish Plot. He was beatified in 1920 and canonised in 1975, thus becoming t ...

", after a Roman Catholic martyr of the reign of

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

. His brother and sister were folk musicians also. Young Tommy Makem, from the age of 8, was a member of the St. Patrick's church choir for 15 years where he sang Gregorian chant and motets. He did not learn to read music but he made it in his "own way". Makem started to work at 14 as a clerk in a garage and later he worked for a while as a barman at Mone's Bar, a local pub, and as a local correspondent for ''The Armagh Observer''. He emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1955, carrying his few possessions and a set of bagpipes (from his time in a pipe band). Arriving in

Dover, New Hampshire Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 32,741 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the most populous city in the New Hampshire Seacoast Region (New Hampshire), Seacoast region and ...

, Makem worked at Kidder Press, where in 1956 his hand was accidentally crushed by a press. With his arm in a sling, he left Dover for New York to pursue an acting career. The Clancys and Makem were signed to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

in 1961. The same year, at the

Newport Folk Festival The Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. The festival was founded by music promoter and Jazz Festival founder Geor ...

, Makem and

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...

were named the most promising newcomers on the American folk scene. During the 1960s, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem performed sellout concerts at such venues as

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

, and made television appearances on shows like ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'' and ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...

''. The group performed for President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

. They also played in smaller venues such as the Gate of Horn in Chicago. They appeared jointly in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

in April 1966, when ''Isn't It Grand Boys'' reached number 22. Makem left the group in 1969 to pursue a solo career. In 1975, he and

Liam Clancy Liam Clancy (; 2 September 1935 – 4 December 2009) was an Irish folk singer from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. He was the youngest member of the influential folk group the Clancy Brothers, regarded as Ireland's first pop stars. They achi ...

were both booked to play a folk festival in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, and were persuaded to do a set together. Thereafter they often performed as

Makem and Clancy Makem and Clancy was an Irish folk duo popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The group consisted of Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, who had originally achieved fame as a part of the trailblazing folk group The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem in the 1960 ...

, recording several albums together. He once again went solo in 1988. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Makem performed both solo and with Liam Clancy on

The Irish Rovers The Irish Rovers is a group of Irish musicians that formed in Toronto, Canada in 1963'Irish Rovers are Digging out those old Folk songs', By Ballymena Weekly Editor, Ballymena Weekly Telegraph, N. Ireland – 20 August 1964 and named after the ...

' various television shows, which were filming in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. In 1974 he co-hosted the ''Tommy Makem and Ryan's Fancy'' show that was filmed in St. John's, Newfoundland and broadcast on

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

. In the 1980s and 1990s, Makem was a principal in a well-known Irish music venue in New York, "Tommy Makem's Irish Pavilion". This East 57th Street club was a prominent and well-loved performance spot for a wide range of musicians. Among the performers and visitors were

Paddy Reilly Patrick Reilly (born 18 October 1939) is an Irish folk singer and guitarist. Born in Rathcoole, County Dublin, he is one of Ireland's most famous balladeers and is best known for his renditions of " The Fields of Athenry", " Rose of Allendale" ...

, Joe Burke, and Ronnie Gilbert. Makem was a regular performer, often solo and often as part of Makem and Clancy, particularly in the late fall and holiday season. The club was also used for warm-up performances in the weeks before the 1984 reunion concert of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

. In addition, the after-party for

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

's legendary '' 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration'' at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

in 1992 was held at the Irish Pavilion. In 1997 he wrote a book, ''Tommy Makem's Secret Ireland'' and in 1999 premiered a one-man theatre show, ''Invasions and Legacies,'' in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. His career includes various other acting, video, composition, and writing credits. He also established the Tommy Makem International Festival of Song in South Armagh in 2000.

Personal life and death

Makem was married to Mary Shanahan, a native of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, for 37 years, and had four children – daughter Katie Makem-Boucher, and sons Shane, Conor and Rory. They also had two grandchildren, Molly Dewar née Makem and Robert Boucher. Mary died in 2001. The Makems initially moved from New York to Ireland early in their marriage, but returned to the United States to escape

the Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...

, settling permanently in

in 1972. Makem became an American citizen in 1986. Makem's three sons (who performed as " The Makem Brothers") and nephews Tom and Jimmy Sweeney continue the family folk music tradition. Makem died in Dover on 1 August 2007, following a lengthy battle with lung cancer, and was buried next to his wife at Saint Mary's New Cemetery. He continued to record and perform until close to the end. Paying tribute to him after his death, Liam Clancy said, "He was my brother in every way."

Compositions

Makem was a prolific composer/songwriter. His performances were always full of his compositions, many of which became standards in the repertoire. Some, notably " Four Green Fields", became so well known that they were sometimes described as anonymous folk songs. During the fall of the Iron Curtain, Makem often proudly told the story that his song "The Winds Are Singing Freedom" had become a sort of folk anthem among Eastern Europeans seeing a new future opening before them. Makem's best-known songs include " Four Green Fields", " Gentle Annie", "The Rambles of Spring", "The Winds Are Singing Freedom", "The Town of Ballybay", "Winds of the Morning", "

Mary Mack "Mary Mack", also known as "Miss Mary Mack", is a clapping game of unknown origin. It is well known in various parts of the United States, Australia, Canada, and in New Zealand and has been called "the most common hand-clapping game in the Engl ...

", and " Farewell to Carlingford". Even though many people mistakenly believe that Makem wrote " Red is the Rose", it is a traditional Irish folk song.

Performance notes

Makem had a forceful and charismatic stage presence – the result of years of public performance, a strong personality and a bard's voice. Performances frequently included the following elements: * Original Makem compositions; the first set often began with "The Rambles of Spring" * The standard repertoire of folk and Irish music, both well-known and little-known (but never "Danny Boy", "When Irish Eyes are Smiling", "Toorah Loorah Looral", or other standards forbidden from requesting) * Oddball songs, such as "Bridie Murphy and the Kamikaze Pilot" (

Colm Gallagher Colm Gallagher (died 26 June 1957) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who was elected twice as Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin North-Central, in 1951 and in 1957. His first candidacy was at the 1948 general election, where he was unsuccessful ...

) or "William Bloat" ( Raymond Calvert) * Poetic recitations, often as introductions to songs; a frequent source was

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th century in literature, 20th-century literature. He was ...

. (Thus "Gentle Annie" usually began with "When You Are Old and Grey", and Four Green Fields usually began with

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish Irish poetry, poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature. Among his best-known works is ''Death of a Naturalist'' (1966), his first m ...

's "Requiem for the Croppies".) * Jokes, often silly, made funnier through repetition: ::"If your nose is running and your feet smell, you're upside down." * Rarely: monologues, such as

Marriott Edgar Marriott Edgar (5 October 1880 – 5 May 1951), born George Marriott Edgar in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, was a British poet, scriptwriter and comedian, best known for writing many of the monologues performed by Stanley Holloway, particularly the ...

's "The Lion and Albert" * Exhortations, nearly always successful, for the audience to join in the singing

Awards and honours

He received many awards and honours, including three honorary doctorates: one from the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

in 1998, one from the

University of Limerick University of Limerick (UL) () is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972, as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in Septemb ...

in 2001, and one from the

University of Ulster Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...

in 2007; as well as the World Folk Music Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. With the Clancy Brothers he was listed among the top 100 Irish-Americans of the 20th century in 1999. A bridge over the

Cochecho River The Cochecho River (incorrectly Cocheco River) is a tributary of the Piscataqua River, long, in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It rises in northern Strafford County and runs southeastward, through the town of Farmington, New Hampshire, Farmingt ...

on Washington Street in Makem's long-time home of

, was named the Tommy and Mary Makem Memorial Bridge in 2010. In 2015 a new Tommy Makem Arts Centre was opened in his home town of

Discography

Makem made dozens of recordings. Specific examples follow (solo recordings only). *''Songs of Tommy Makem'' (1961) – Tradition (also on CD) *''Tommy Makem Sings Tommy Makem'' (1968) – Columbia *''In the Dark Green Wood'' (1969) – Columbia *''The Bard of Armagh'' (1970) – GWPAlso available on "From the Archives" – Shanachie CD *''Love Is Lord of All'' (1971) – GWP *''Listen...for the rafters are ringing'' (1972) – Bard (US) / Columbia (overseas) *''Recorded Live – A Room Full of Song'' (1973) – Bard/Columbia (as above) *''In the Dark Green Woods'' (1974) – Polydor (Ireland Only) *''Ever the Winds'' (1975) – Polydor (Ireland Only) *''4 Green Fields'' (1975) – HAWK (A compilation of songs from The bard of Armagh, Love is lord of all, and Winds are singing freedom, mentioned below) *''Lord of the Dance (exclusive live version) / Winds are Singing Freedom'' – Bard ;Following releases all available on Shanachie CD unless noted otherwise *''Lonesome Waters'' (1985) *''Rolling Home'' (1989) *''Songbag'' (1990) – reissued on 'Red Biddy' *''Live at the Irish Pavilion'' (1993) *''Tommy Makem's Christmas'' (1995) *''Ancient Pulsing Poetry With Music'' (1996) – Red Biddy *''The Song Tradition'' (1998) ;Guest recordings *'' The Lark in the Morning'' by Liam Clancy, Tommy Makem, Family and Friends (1955) – Tradition (also on CD) *''Folk Festival at Newport, Volume 1'' (1959) – Vanguard *''The Newport Folk Festival, Volume 1'' (1960) – Vanguard *''Songs for a Better Tomorrow'' (1963) – UAW *''Songs of the Working People'' (1988) – Flying Fish *''The Makem Brothers – On the Rocks'' (1995) – Red Biddy *''Where Have All The Flowers Gone?: The Songs of Pete Seeger'' (1998) – Appleseed *''Schooner Fare – A 20th Anniversary Party'' (1999) – Outer Green *''Barra MacNeils – The Christmas Album'' (1999) – label unknown *''Cherish the Ladies – The Girls Won't Leave the Boys Alone'' (2000) – Windham Hill *''Roger McGuinn – Treasures from the

Folk Den Folk Den is a folk music website founded in 1995 by Roger McGuinn, former front man of The Byrds. Hosted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's ibiblio, the site is intended to preserve and promote folk music and offers a new folk so ...

'' (2001) – Appleseed *''25th Annual Sea Music Festival'' (2004) – Independent release *''Barra MacNeils – The Christmas Album II'' (2006) – unknown label *''Various - Ar Stáitse'' (Volume 1 of 2) (Recorded 1973, released 2011) - RTÉ ;Posthumous releases *''Legendary Tommy Makem Collection'' (2007) – Emerald

Videos

*''The Story of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem'' (1984) – Shanachie *''Reunion Concert: Belfast'' (1984) – Shanachie *''Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest (1965)'' (circa 1985) – Central Sun / reissued on Shanachie *''Tommy Makem and Friends in Concert'' (1992) – WMHT/PBS *''Bob Dylan: The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration'' (1993) – Sony *''Tommy Makem in Concert With Pete Seeger and the Egan-Ivers Band'' (1994) – WMHT/PBS *''Tommy Makem in Concert With Odetta and The Barra MacNeils'' (1994) – WMHT/PBS *''Tommy Makem's Ireland'' (1994) – WMHT/PBS *''A Christmas Tradition'' (1995) – WMHT/PBS *''The Road Taken With Tommy Makem'' (2001) – WMHT/PBS *''The Makem and Spain Brothers In Concert'' (2006) – WMHT/PBS *''The Best of 'Hootenanny (2007) – Shout! (Clancy Brothers featured in 3 performances) *''Come West Along the Road'' (2007) – RTÉ (completion video, featured in one performance)

Film

* ''A Time to Remember'' (1988) - Christmas Film Debut as Father Halloran, with Donald O'Connor, Morgana King, and child singer Ruben Gomez.

References

External links

*
Biography
at Yahoo.com
Biography at RamblinghouseObituary and Tribute
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Makem, Tommy 1932 births 2007 deaths 20th-century male singers from Northern Ireland Banjoists from Northern Ireland Bodhrán players Columbia Records artists Deaths from lung cancer in New Hampshire Male folk singers from Northern Ireland Emigrants from Northern Ireland to the United States Musicians from County Armagh People from Keady Singers from New Hampshire Tin whistle players from Northern Ireland Tradition Records artists 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 20th-century Irish flautists The Clancy Brothers members Male flautists from Northern Ireland 20th-century folk musicians from Northern Ireland 1950s in Irish music 1960s in Irish music 1970s in Irish music 1980s in Irish music 1990s in Irish music 2000s in Irish music