Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Liam Clancy

 
Artist: Liam Clancy
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists
Liam Clancy

Similar Artists:

Capercaillie, The Chieftains, Silly Wizard, Mary Black, Cherish the Ladies, Altan, The Tannahill Weavers, Natalie MacMaster, Dubliners, Phil Coulter, Wolfe Tones, Old Blind Dogs, The Irish Rovers, The Irish Descendants, Daniel O'Donnell, The Rankin Family

Followers:

Daniel O'Donnell, Foster & Allen, The Irish Descendants

Performed Songs By:

Paddy Tunney, Tommy Makem

Worked With:

Tom Clancy
  • Born: 1936
  • Active: '90s
  • Genres: World
  • Instrument: Vocals, Guitar
  • Representative Albums: "Those Were the Days: The Essential Liam Clancy", "Favourites 1 & 2", "The Wheels of Life

Biography

The youngest and the last surviving of the Clancy Brothers, Liam Clancy played a major role in the success of the Irish folk singing group that he shared with his brothers. "I never heard a singer as good as (Liam)," said Bob Dylan during a late-'90s interview. "He was just the best ballad singer I ever heard in my life. Still is, probably. I can't think of anyone who is a better ballad singer." Clancy was drawn to creative endeavors at a young age. Painting and writing poetry and short stories since childhood, he produced, directed, designed scenery, and acted in several local theatrical productions as a teen. Although his mother was considered an important source for Irish folk songs, it wasn't until an American folk song collector visited the Clancy home in 1955 that he began to sing. "The first thing I ever sang," he later recalled, "was the recording that Diane Hamilton made -- "The Lark in the Morning." Clancy's involvement with Hamilton had a profound effect on his future. Accompanying her to Keady, County Armagh, he met folksinger Sarah Makem and her son, Tommy Makem; Tommy became his life-long friend and musical collaborator. Tommy, Clancy emigrated to the United States in 1956 hoping to find jobs as stage and television actors. They soon found that they earned more money by singing Irish folk songs at Greenwich Village nightspot, the Fifth Peg (later called Gerde's Folk City), with Clancy's older brother, Paddy, who had settled in New York a couple of months before their arrival. Releasing their debut album, Irish Songs of Rebellion, on Paddy Clancy's label Tradition in 1956, the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem ushered in a new era of Irish folk music. With the encouragement and support of heiress Diane Guggenheim, they joined with beat poets, artists, and other folksingers to transform New York's Greenwich Village into a bastion of creativity. Performing regularly in top New York nightclubs, by the early '60s, Clancy and the group were launched to international stardom after appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1961. Scheduled to perform two songs, they were forced to extend their appearance when the show's headliner canceled. The following year, they performed for a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall. Clancy continued to sing with his brothers until embarking on a solo career in 1973. Having settled in Calgary, Alberta, he hosted his own television show, for which he received a Canadian Emmy. Although he was no longer a member of the Clancy Brothers, Clancy continued to collaborate with Makem, recording a series of impressive duo albums during the '80s. Reuniting with his brothers in 1984, Clancy rejoined the Clancy Brothers for concerts in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Galway, and New York's Lincoln Center. Although he also played with his brothers, and nephew Robbie O'Connell, in 1990, a serious rift between Liam and Paddy Clancy prevented them for playing together for six years. Working his problems out with his brother in 1996, Clancy re-joined the Clancy Brothers, which then included his brothers, Paddy, Bobby, and O'Connell, to record an album, Older But No Wiser and embark on a farewell tour. He continued to tour with his son, Donal, and O'Connell, as Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy from 1996 until 1999. Clancy currently resides in Ring, a small, county Waterford village on Ireland's southeastern coast, where he supervises his own recording studio. In 2002, Clancy's memoirs, The Mountain of the Women, were published by Doubleday. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide
Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Wikipedia: Liam Clancy
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Gnome globe current event.svg
 This article is about a person who has recently died or has recently been reported dead. Some information, such as that pertaining to the circumstances of the person's death and surrounding events, may change as more facts become known.
Liam Clancy

Liam Clancy (right) with singer Odetta in 2006.
Background information
Birth name William Clancy
Born 2 September 1935(1935-09-02)
Origin Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland
Died 4 December 2009 (aged 74)
Cork, Republic of Ireland
Genres Folk, traditional Irish
Occupations Musician, songwriter, actor
Instruments Vocals, guitar, concertina
Years active 1955–2009
Associated acts The Clancy Brothers, Makem and Clancy
Website http://www.liamclancy.com/

William "Liam" Clancy (2 September 1935 – 4 December 2009) (Irish Liam Mac Fhlannchadha) was an Irish folk singer and actor from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. He was the youngest and last surviving member of performing group The Clancy Brothers. The group were regarded as Ireland's first pop stars.[1] They recorded 55 albums, achieving global sales of millions and appearing at a sold-out Carnegie Hall, New York and the Royal Albert Hall, London.[2][3]

Liam was regarded as the group's most powerful vocalist.[4] Bob Dylan regarded him as greatest ballad singer ever,[1][5][3][6] whilst Gay Byrne described him as one of the “most famous four Irishmen in the world”.[2] He was a central figure during the 1960s folk revival.[3]

Contents

Biography

As a child he was known as William or Willie.[citation needed] He displayed an artistic disposition at an early age, while growing up in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. Born there he was in 1935 as one of eleven children created by Robert Joseph Clancy and Joanna McGrath.[2] The first song he learned was "The Croppy Boy".[4] He received a Christian Brothers education before taking a job as an insurance man in Dublin.[2] Whilst there he also took night classes at the National College of Art and Design.[2]

However, while still in his teens, Liam explored writing and painting, though he was particularly drawn to the theatre. In his early performing days, he began to call himself Liam rather than William or Willie. Before he was twenty years old, Liam had founded the local dramatic society now called "Brewery Lane Theatre and Arts Centre", and had produced, directed, set-directed, and starred in John Millington Synge's The Playboy of the Western World. Liam also performed at the renowned Gaiety Theatre in Dublin.[7] He encountered Diane Hamilton Guggenheim when she came to his hometown to visit his mother, and set off on a tour of Ireland alongside her.[2][3] During her 1955 trip to Keady, Clancy encountered Tommy Makem for the first time.[2] He would later pursue Guggenheim to the United States.[3]

Clancy began singing with his brothers at fund-raising events for the Cherry Lane Theatre and the Guthrie benefits. The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, began recording on Paddy Clancy's Tradition label in the late 1950s. Liam Clancy played guitar in addition to singing and also recorded several solo albums. They recorded their seminal The Rising of the Moon album in 1959, giving live performances in the American cities of Boston, Chicago and New York.[2] A record-breaking[citation needed] sixteen minute long performance on American TV's The Ed Sullivan Show on 17 March 1961 launched the group into stardom.[2][3] They were supposed to only play two songs but the main act cancelled at short notice.[8] There were international tours, which included performances at Carnegie Hall] (a sell-out in 1962)[8] and the Royal Albert Hall.[3] Their trademark attire was Aran geansaí—these were sent across the water by Mrs Clancy for her boys to wear against the unforgiving American climate.[3] The quartet recorded numerous albums for Columbia Records and enjoyed great success during the 1960s folk revival. Liam was a close friend of Bob Dylan when they both were going out with two sisters in New York. He performed live for United States President John F. Kennedy.[9] Liam Clancy was the last surviving member of the original Clancy Brothers; Tom Clancy died on November 7, 1990, Patrick Clancy died on November 11, 1998 and Tommy Makem died on August 1, 2007. Liam said of his status as last known survivor,

“There was always a pecking order, especially when you’re working with family. But they all died off, and I got to the top of the pecking order, with nobody looking over my shoulder. There’s a great sense of freedom about that”.[2]

After The Clancy Brothers split, Liam had a solo career in Canada.[3] He made television performances in Calgary, Alberta.[2] He had a hit with "The Dutchman" and presented his own television show there, also appearing on the CBC concert series Summer Evening in 1976.[10] In 197, he was booked to play a festival in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, where Tommy Makem was also playing.[2] The two played a set together and formed Makem and Clancy, performing in numerous concerts and recording several albums as a duo, until 1988.[2] The whole ensemble also got back together in the 1980s for a reunion tour.[3][2] After the death of Tom Clancy in 1990, Liam came together with Paddy and Bobby Clancy and nephew Robbie O'Connell.[2] He also performed alongside his Fayreweather Band and the Phil Coulter Orchestra.[2]

In later life, Liam maintained a solo career, whilst also engaging in other pursuits. He lived in County Waterford at this stage.[3] He had a recording studio in Ring, County Waterford.[2]

In 2001, Liam Clancy published an autobiographical novel, entitled The Mountain of the Women. In early 2004 he created what many critics[who?] consider his greatest musical contribution since the dissolution of the original Clancy Brothers.[citation needed] He was in No Direction Home, the 2004 Bob Dylan documentary directed by Martin Scorsese.[2]

In 2006, Clancy was profiled in a two-hour documentary titled The Legend of Liam Clancy produced by Anna Rodgers and John Murray with Crossing the Line Films, and screened on the Irish channel RTÉ. In February 2007, this documentary won the award for best series at the Irish Film and Television Awards in Dublin. In 2008 Liam performed in a filmed concert titled Liam Clancy and Friends, Live at The Bitter End which featured the last filmed performance of his friend Odetta, as well as songs from Tom Paxton, Shane MacGowan, Gemma Hayes, Eric Bibb, and Fionn Regan as well as members of Danú.

The same director Alan Gilsenan went on to direct a full length biography of Liam Clancy, The Yellow Bittern: The Life and Times of Liam Clancy.[5] This was released at the 2009 Dublin Film Festival and went on to have a theatrical and DVD release in Ireland the UK. The film includes appearances by Pete Seeger, Jean Ritchie, Bob Dylan, Odetta, and many others [9] as well as much unseen archive such as The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem at Newport Festival.

His final album The Wheels of Life was released in 2009: this included duets with Mary Black and Gemma Hayes as well as songs by Tom Paxton and Donovan.[2]

Liam was an ardent proponent of political views and often outspoken on matters of social injustice right up until his death.[11] He criticised both Gulf Wars and the grim, harsh economic climate which gripped Ireland during his last months alive.[4] He told The Irish Times in September 2009 that he was on his “last legs”.[12] He had already given his final performance, at the National Concert Hall the previous May, during which he recited the Dylan Thomas poem "And death shall have no dominion".[12] He was unable to perform a full-length show on the final night of a two-night sold-out run but put in a 40-minute appearance nonetheless.[13] His manager described it as “a very profound moment. He expressed his fear of dying, but he did it with great dignity”.[12]

Liam Clancy died from interstitial lung disease on 4 December 2009, in Bon Secours Hospital in Cork, Ireland. Bobby Clancy died of the the same disease seven years previously.[5] Liam Clancy was survived by his wife, Kim, and four children, Eben, Siobhán, Fiona and Donal.[3][5] His son Eban was in the process of coming over from the United Kingdom and he had had a chat with his son Donal who was in the middle of a tour of California.[13] The other three sat beside him as he died.[3] Liam had intended to give another interview at the time but succumbed to the disase before this was possible.[13]

The leader of Fine Gael, Enda Kenny, mourned the loss of a "brilliant musician".[5] Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen said, "Liam Clancy was a nationally and internationally renowned folk singer and was an example of an absolutely dedicated artistic craftsman. This generous and life-giving person enriched all of our lives with memorable songs and was part of the fabric of Ireland’s proud traditional music culture".[14] Alan Gilsenan described the death as the "end of an era".[5] The American city of Boston was said to be in shock at the news as his influence there is "inescapable".[15] Christy Moore, on a prescheduled appearance on The Late Late Show aired live on the night of Liam's death, said, "I would have been listening to Radio Luxembourg and rock 'n' roll as a young fellow and then I got to hear of the Clancy brothers, when I was 16 I came to Dublin to hear them in a concert. It was about 1962, I think it was the Olympia, it was the most exciting concert I had ever attended. It was Irish, it was rock 'n' roll, it was funky and it was even sexy".[16][17]

Discography

Solo recordings

  • 1965 – Liam Clancy – Vanguard LP/CD

*re-released with bonus tracks as 'Irish Troubadour' on Vanguard CD

  • 1974 – Farewell to Tarwaithie – Plainsong LP

*on Shanachie CD as "The Dutchman"

  • Kerrygold Cheddar Cheese – special edition 45rpm – unknown year

Guest recordings

  • 1955 – The Lark in the Morning – Tradition LP/Rykodisc CD
  • 1956 – The Countess Cathleen – Tradition LP
  • 1989 – Phil Coulter: Words and Music – Shanachie CD
  • 1992 – Phil Coulter: A Touch of Tranquility – Shanachie CD
  • 1994 – Joanie Madden: Whistle on the Wind – Green Linnet CD
  • 1999 – Cherish the Ladies: At Home – RCA CD
  • 2000 – The Boys Won't Leave the Girls Alone – Windham Hill CD

Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem

Tradition Records

Columbia Records

  • A Spontaneous Performance Recording (1961)
  • Hearty and Hellish! A Live Nightclub Performance (1962)
  • The Boys Won't Leave the Girls Alone (1962) – 2 stereo issues (one includes alternate mixes)

*the last two albums were issued on now out of print Shanachie CDs

  • In Person at Carnegie Hall (1963) – also on Columbia CD
  • The First Hurrah! (1964)
  • Recorded LIVE in Ireland (1965)
  • Isn't It Grand, Boys (1966)
  • Freedom's Sons (1966)
  • In Concert (1967) – also on Columbia CD
  • The Irish Uprising (1967)
  • Home, Boys, Home (1968)
  • Sing of the Sea (1968)
  • The Bold Fenian Men (1969)
  • Reunion (1984) – Released on Blackbird LP/Shanachie CD
  • Luck Of The Irish – Columbia/Sony compilation. Contains 1 new song (Wars Of Germany) and 3 new performances of previously released songs: (Home Boys Home, The Old Orange Flute and They're Moving Father's Grave To Build A Sewer) (1992)
  • Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (1992)
  • Irish Drinking Songs (1993) – contains unreleased material from the Carnegie Hall album
  • Ain't it Grand: A Collection of Unissued Gems (1995) – unreleased material from the 1960s era

The Clancy Brothers (Liam, Tom, Pat, Bobby)

  • Christmas – Columbia LP/CD (1969)
  • Flowers in the Valley – Columbia LP (1970)

Audio Fidelity Records

  • Welcome to Our House (1970)

Lou Killen, Paddy, Liam, Tom Clancy

Audio Fidelity Records

  • Show Me The Way (1972)
  • Save the Land! (1972)
  • Live on St. Patrick's Day (1973)

Vanguard Records

  • Clancy Brothers Greatest Hits (1973) – Vanguard LP/CD

*This was reissued as 'Best of the Vanguard Years' with bonus material from the 1982 Live! album with Bobby Clancy and Robbie O'Connell.

Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem

Blackbird and Shanachie Records

  • Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy (1976)
  • The Makem & Clancy Concert (1977)
  • Two for the Early Dew (1978)
  • The Makem and Clancy Collection (1980) – contains previously released material and singles
  • Live At The National Concert Hall (1983)
  • We've Come A Long Way (1986)

Bob Dylan

  • The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (Pat, Liam & Bobby Clancy sing "When The Ship Comes In" with Tommy Makem and Robbie O'Connell)

The Clancy Brothers (Tom, Pat, Bobby) and Robbie O'Connell

  • Mini CD (3 inch disc)

The Clancy Brothers (Liam, Pat, Bobby) and Robbie O'Connell

  • Older But No Wiser – Vanguard (1995)

Clancy, Evans, and Doherty

  • 1996 – Shine on Brighter – Popular CD

Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy

Helvic Records

  • Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy – (1997)
  • The Wild And Wasteful Ocean – (1998)

Filmography

  • 1984 – The Story of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem – Shanchie
  • 1984 – Reunion Concert: Belfast – Shanachie
  • circa 1985 – Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest (1965) – Central Sun / Shanachie (reissue)
  • 1997 – Farewell to Ireland – Pinnacle Vision
  • 2007 – Yes...Those Were the Days: Liam Clancy – Live at the Olympia, Dublin – unknown distributor

*originally released in 1992 as "In Close Up: Volumes 1 and 2"

  • 2007 – The Best of 'Hootenanny' – Shout!
  • 2009 – The Yellow Bittern: The life and times of Liam Clancy

References

  1. ^ a b Grainne Cunningham and Louise Hogan (5 December 2009). "World mourns passing of an inspirational folk legend". Irish Independent. http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/news-gossip/world-mourns-passing-of-an-inspirational-folk-legend-1965176.html. Retrieved 5 December 2009. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Last survivor of legendary Clancy Brothers with special voice for a ballad". The Irish Times. 5 December 2009. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/obituaries/2009/1205/1224260145986.html?via=rel. Retrieved 5 December 2009. "The group, described by Gay Byrne as the “most famous four Irishmen in the world”, recorded 55 albums which sold in their millions around the world." 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Liam Clancy dies aged 74". RTÉ News and Current Affairs. 4 December 2009. http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1204/clancyl.html. Retrieved 4 December 2009. 
  4. ^ a b c Siobhán Long (5 December 2009). "Last Clancy brother relished being emotionally trapped by a song". The Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1205/1224260145425.html?via=rel. Retrieved 5 December 2009. "The youngest of the Clancy brothers, he grew up in Carrick-on-Suir, where he learned the words of his first song, The Croppy Boy. [...] Liam was widely acknowledged as the strongest singer in the group." 
  5. ^ a b c d e f Ronan McGreevey (4 December 2009). "Singer Liam Clancy dies aged 74". The Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1204/breaking77.htm. Retrieved 4 December 2009. 
  6. ^ "Irish folk legend Liam Clancy dies aged 74". NME. 5 December 2009. http://www.nme.com/news/bob-dylan/48741. Retrieved 5 December 2009. 
  7. ^ "MP3 Liam Clancy – Irish Troubadour". http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/1002371-liam-clancy. Retrieved 2009-09-22. 
  8. ^ a b "Irish folk singer Liam Clancy dies". BBC. 4 December 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8396536.stm. Retrieved 5 December 2009. 
  9. ^ a b The Yellow Bittern: The Life and Times of Liam Clancy
  10. ^ "Irish balladeer Liam Clancy dies at 74". CBC News. 5 December 2009. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2009/12/04/obit-clancy-liam.html. Retrieved 5 December 2009. 
  11. ^ John Boland (5 December 2009). "One extraordinary storyteller with a real passion for life". Irish Independent. http://www.independent.ie/national-news/one-extraordinary-storyteller-with-a-real-passion-for-life-1965144.html. Retrieved 5 December 2009. 
  12. ^ a b c Ronan McGreevey (5 December 2009). "Last of the Clancy brothers dies". The Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1205/breaking22.html?via=mr. Retrieved 5 December 2009. 
  13. ^ a b c "Tributes paid to Liam Clancy". RTÉ. 4 December 2009. http://www.rte.ie/arts/2009/1204/clancyl.html. Retrieved 4 December 2009. 
  14. ^ Conall O Fátharta (5 December 2009). "Folk singer Liam Clancy dies, aged 74". Irish Examiner. http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/folk-singer-liam-clancy-dies-aged-74-107231.html. Retrieved 5 December 2009. 
  15. ^ Emma Rose Johnson (5 December 2009). "Liam Clancy's death echoes on Boston's Irish music scene". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/12/on_bostons_iris.html. Retrieved 5 December 2009. 
  16. ^ Michael Lavery (5 December 2009). "Music world mourns Liam Clancy". Evening Herald. http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/around-town/music-world-mourns-liam-clancy-1965420.html. Retrieved 5 December 2009. 
  17. ^ "Late Late Show guests announced". RTÉ. 4 December 2009. http://www.rte.ie/arts/2009/1204/thelatelateshow.html. Retrieved 4 December 2009. 

External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 
Learn More
Best of the Vanguard Years (2000 Album by Clancy Brothers)
Appalachian Breakdown (2001 Album by Various Artists)
A Touch of Tranquility (1992 Album by Phil Coulter)

What is the meaning of liam? Read answer...
Is liam an inbred? Read answer...
Who does liam like? Read answer...

Help us answer these
Compare the poems Clancy of the overflow ans Clancy of the underflow?
Who is Liam Morrissey?
Who is Liam Bennet?

Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

 

Copyrights:

Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Liam Clancy".  Read more

Related answers
» More
 
Answer these
» More

Mentioned in

» More» More