Liam Clancy was the youngest and last surviving member of the influential folk group the Clancy Brothers, who are regarded as Ireland's first pop stars. They recorded 55 albums, achieved global sales of millions and appeared in sold-out concerts at such prominent venues as Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall.
Liam was generally considered to be the group's most powerful vocalist. Bob Dylan regarded him as the greatest ballad singer ever, whilst Gay Byrne described him as one of the "most famous four Irishmen in the world" at the height of the Clancy Brothers' fame. He was a central figure during the 1960s folk revival on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1976 as part of the duo, Makem and Clancy, he had a number one hit in Ireland with the anti-war song "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" (written by Scots-Australian Eric Bogle). Upon his death The Irish Times said his legacy was secured.
He was born at Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, Ireland. He was Robert Joseph Clancy and Joanna McGrath's ninth and youngest surviving child (two others died in childhood). As a child, he was known as William or Willie. He displayed an artistic disposition at an early age, while growing up in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. The first song he learned was "The Croppy Boy". He received a Christian Brothers education before taking a job as an insurance man in Dublin. Whilst there he also took night classes at the National College of Art and Design.
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. 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. During her 1955 trip to Keady, Clancy encountered Tommy Makem for the first time. He would later pursue Guggenheim to the United States. He referred to Greenwich Village as "the island for people escaped from repressed backgrounds".
Liam Clancy began singing with his brothers, Paddy and Tom Clancy, at fund-raising events for the Cherry Lane Theatre and the Guthrie benefits. The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, began recording on Paddy Clancy's Tradition Records 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. A record-breaking sixteen-minute-long performance on American TV's The Ed Sullivan Show on 17 March 1961 launched the group into stardom. They were supposed to only play two songs but the main act cancelled at short notice. There were international tours, which included performances at Carnegie Hall (a sell-out in 1962) and the Royal Albert Hall. Their trademark attire was Aran geansaí—these were sent across the water by Mrs. Clancy for her sons to wear against the unforgiving American climate. 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.
In 1964, thirty percent of all albums sold in Ireland were Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem records. Although better known for their full-length albums, the Clancy Brothers' single, "The Leaving of Liverpool" (from the album, The First Hurrah!), which featured Liam in the lead, reached the number six spot on the Irish charts in 1964. Liam played the guitar in almost all the recordings of the Clancy Brothers, and he took lead vocals in many songs, including "The Wild Rover", "The Shoals of Herring", "Port Lairge", "The Juice of the Barley", "The Patriot Game", "The Gallant Forty Twa", "The Jolly Tinker", "The Nightingale", "Peggy Gordon", "Old Maid in the Garrett", and "The Parting Glass", which closed every Clancy Brothers concert.
Liam Clancy was the last surviving member of the original Clancy Brothers. Tom Clancy died on 7 November 1990, Patrick Clancy died on 11 November 1998, and Tommy Makem died on 1 August 2007. Bobby Clancy, who had joined the group in 1969, died on 6 September 2002. Liam said of his status as the last of the brothers: "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".
After The Clancy Brothers split up, Liam had a solo career in Canada. He made several television performances on the CBC's national television variety program, The Irish Rovers Show from Vancouver. He had a hit with "The Dutchman" at this time, and he presented his own television show in Calgary, also appearing on the CBC concert series Summer Evening in 1976. In 1975, he was booked to play a festival in Cleveland, Ohio, US, where Tommy Makem was also playing. The two played a set together and formed the group Makem and Clancy, performing in numerous concerts and recording several albums together until 1988. The original Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem line-up also got back together in the 1980s for a reunion tour and album. After the death of Tom Clancy in 1990, Liam sang with Paddy and Bobby Clancy and nephew Robbie O'Connell as part of The Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell. He also performed alongside his Fayreweather Band and the Phil Coulter Orchestra. With Coulter, Clancy had a top four hit single in 1989, "Home from the Sea".
In later life, Liam maintained a solo career accompanied by musicians Paul Grant and Kevin Evans, whilst also engaging in other pursuits. He lived in Ring, County Waterford at this stage. His home in Waterford was designed by the celebrity architect, Duncan Stewart, and featured solar panels which were innovative at the time. He subsequently converted his large garage into a recording studio.
In 2001, Liam Clancy published a memoir titled The Mountain of the Women. He also was in No Direction Home, the 2005 Bob Dylan documentary directed by Martin Scorsese.
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. 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 as well as much unseen archive such as The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem at Newport Festival. The Irish Times praised the film and director Gilsenan who it said had "tracked down an impressive number of secondary sources, and his use of other performers' music is often inspired".
His final album The Wheels of Life was released in 2009. It included duets with Mary Black and Gemma Hayes as well as songs by Tom Paxton and Donovan.
Liam was an ardent proponent of political views and often outspoken on matters of social injustice right up until his death. He criticised both Gulf Wars and the grim, harsh economic climate which gripped Ireland during his last months alive.
Clancy told The Irish Times in September 2009 that he was on his "last legs". 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". 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. His manager described it as "a very profound moment. He expressed his fear of dying, but he did it with great dignity".
Liam Clancy died from pulmonary fibrosis on 4 December 2009, in Bon Secours Hospital in Cork, Ireland. His brother Bobby died of the same disease seven years previously. Liam was buried in the new cemetery in An Rinn County Waterford, where he spent the last number of years of his life, owning a successful recording studio. He was survived by his wife, Kim, and their four children, Eben, Siobhán, Fiona and Donal, as well three previous children Sean, Andrew and Anya. His son Eben 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. The other three sat beside him as he died. Liam had intended to give another interview at the time but succumbed to the disease before this was possible.
The leader of Fine Gael, Enda Kenny, mourned the loss of a "brilliant musician". 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". Alan Gilsenan described the death as the "end of an era".
The American city of Boston was said to be in shock at the news as his influence there is "inescapable".[24] Radio disc jockeys in New York paid tribute to the man who, according to the New York Daily News, "played a major role in defining how Americans heard Irish popular music over the last half century", with one DJ saying The Clancy Brothers had "broke down a wall that was long overdue". 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".
Clancy's mid-day funeral at St Mary's Church in Dungarvan on 7 December was attended by hundreds of mourners, including both the Aides de Camp of the Taoiseach and President of Ireland, Minister Cullen and various musicians and artists. He was later buried in Ring.
The Patriot Game
Liam Clancy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the love of one's country is a terrible thing.
It banishes fear with the speed of a flame,
And it makes us all part of the patriot game.
My name is O'Hanlon, and I've just turned sixteen.
My home is in Monaghan, where I was weaned.
I learned all my life cruel England to blame,
This Ireland of ours has too long been half free;
Six counties lie under John Bull's tyranny.
But still De Valera is greatly to blame,
For shirking his part in the Patriot game.
They told me how Connolly was shot in his chair,
His wounds from the fighting all bloody and bare.
His fine body twisted, all battered and lame,
They soon made me part of the patriot game.
It's nearly two years since I wandered away,
With the local battalion of the bold IRA,
I've read of our heroes, and I wanted the same,
To play out my part in the patriot game.
I don't mind a bit if I shoot down police,
They are lackeys for war never guardians of peace,
And yet at deserters I'm never let aim,
The rebels who sold out the patriot game.
And now as I lie (or: die) here, my body all holes (or: holed),
I think of those traitors who bargained in souls,
And I wish that my (air) rifle had given the same,
To those Quislings who sold out the patriot game.
The Patriot Game by Liam Clancy is a song that talks about the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which was a group of nationalists seeking independence for Ireland from the United Kingdom. The opening lines urge young rebels to come and listen to the song for the love of their country. The singer, O'Hanlon, explains that his home is Monaghan, where he was taught to blame England for all his troubles. He thinks that the Irish nation has been half-free for too long, and six counties in Ireland are still under the British rule. He believes De Valera was equally responsible for shirking his duty in the Patriot game.
The Patriot Game refers to a specific event that occurred in Northern Ireland in 1958. During that year, violence broke out across the country because the Northern Ireland government chose to continue rule under the British government instead of joining the Republic of Ireland. The IRA carried out a bombing campaign to put pressure on the government, which resulted in many deaths. The British government eventually declared a state of emergency and dispatched troops to control the situation. The song speaks of how the singer, O'Hanlon, joined the IRA because he was inspired by the heroes of the Patriot game. He wanted to play his part in achieving Ireland's freedom. The song ends with the singer regretting that he did not do more or kill more people to ensure the success of the Patriot game.
Line by Line Meaning
Come all ye young rebels, and list while I sing,
Listen, young rebels, as I sing.
For the love of one's country is a terrible thing.
Love for one's country can be incredibly powerful.
It banishes fear with the speed of a flame,
Patriotism can eliminate fear quickly.
And it makes us all part of the patriot game.
Being patriotic makes us participants in a larger movement.
My name is O'Hanlon, and I've just turned sixteen.
My name is O'Hanlon, I'm 16 years old.
My home is in Monaghan, where I was weaned.
I come from Monaghan.
I learned all my life cruel England to blame,
I was raised to blame England for all of the misfortunes in my life.
So now I am part of the patriot game.
Because of this, I am now a part of the movements for Irish independence.
This Ireland of ours has too long been half free;
Ireland has been only partially free for far too long.
Six counties lie under John Bull's tyranny.
Six counties are still under British control.
But still De Valera is greatly to blame,
I still blame De Valera for not doing enough.
For shirking his part in the Patriot game.
He did not participate enough in the wider movements for independence.
They told me how Connolly was shot in his chair,
I was told about Connolly being shot while in a chair.
His wounds from the fighting all bloody and bare.
He had many bloody wounds from the fighting.
His fine body twisted, all battered and lame,
His body was damaged and distorted from the beatings and shootings.
They soon made me part of the patriot game.
This further increased my involvement in the movement for independence.
It's nearly two years since I wandered away,
It's been almost two years since I left home.
With the local battalion of the bold IRA,
I joined the local IRA battalion.
I've read of our heroes, and I wanted the same,
I've read about our heroes and I wanted to be like them.
To play out my part in the patriot game.
To do my part in the wider movements for Irish independence.
I don't mind a bit if I shoot down police,
I'm willing to shoot police officers.
They are lackeys for war never guardians of peace,
In my opinion, they are not peacekeepers, but instead accomplices to a larger system of war.
And yet at deserters I'm never let aim,
However, I'm never allowed to shoot deserters of the Irish cause.
The rebels who sold out the patriot game.
These people are called 'rebels' but they've betrayed our wider cause.
And now as I lie (or: die) here, my body all holes (or: holed),
As I lay dying, my body is riddled with bullet holes.
I think of those traitors who bargained in souls,
I think of those traitors who sold out the greater Irish cause for personal gain.
And I wish that my (air) rifle had given the same,
I wish I could have dealt the same fate to them as my (air) rifle is dealing to me.
To those Quislings who sold [out] the patriot game.
The people who sold out the Irish cause are seen as traitors like Quislings in Norway during World War II.
Writer(s): Dominic Behan
Contributed by Kylie S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bonito
It tells the story of Fergal O'Hanlon, an IRA Volunteer from Ballybay, County Monaghan who was killed at the age of 20 in an attack on Brookeborough Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks in County Fermanagh on 1 January 1957.
LYRICS
Come all you rebels, and list while I sing,
For the love of one's country is a terrible thing.
It banishes fear with the speed of a flame,
And it makes us all part of the patriot game.
My name is O'Hanlon, and I've gone sixteen.
My home is in Monaghan, where I was weaned.
I learnt all my life cruel England to blame,
So now I am part of the patriot game.
It's nearly two years since I wandered away,
With the local battalion of the bold IRA,
I've read of our heroes, and I wanted the same,
To play up my part in the patriot game.
This Ireland of ours has for long been half free;
Six counties are under John Bull's tyranny.
So I gave up my boyhood, to drill and to train
To play my own part in the Patriot game.
And now as I lie here, my body all holes
I think of those traitors who bargained and sold,
And I wish that my rifle had given the same,
To those Quislings who sold out the patriot game.
John Riordan
The unredacted lyrics:
The Patriot Game
Come all you young rebels and list while I sing
For love of ones land is a terrible thing
It banishes fear with the speed of a flame
And makes us all part of the patriot game
My name is O'Hanlon, I'm just gone sixteen
My home is in Monaghan there I was weaned
I learned all my life cruel England to blame
And so I'm part of the patriot game
It's barely a year since I wandered away
With the local battalions of the bold IRA
I read of our heroes and wanted the same
To play up my part in the patriot game
They told me how Connolly was shot in a chair
His wounds from the fighting all bleeding and bare
His fine body twisted all battered and lame
They soon made me part of the patriot game
This Ireland of mine has for long been half-free
Six Counties are under John Bull's Monarchy
But still DeValera is greatly to blame
For shirking his part in the patriot game
I don't mind a bit if I shoot down police
They are lackeys for war never guardians of peace
And yet at deserters I'm never let aim
The rebels who sold out the patriot game
And now as I lie with my body all holes
I think of those traitors who bargained and sold
I'm sorry my rifle has not done the same
For the Quislings who sold out the patriot game
Medellin BalloonFest
My father who unlike me had not a drop of irish in him still loved everything ireland, could sing all kinds of irish folk from memory. Anyway, he had the live album from carnegie hall that we absolutely wore out when I was a kid. I remember I teared up listening then and I still do every time. God bless you pa and God bless Clancy and the boys too, forever.
Jennifer Charlton-Dennis
A powerful song sung by a true Irishman. Reminds me of my 90 year old grandfather. Liam you are are and always will be an amazing singer. May you Rest in Peace.
Mr Black
Hi Jennifer
Andy Snadden
You can hear every syllable of every word, a true folk singer !
Andy Snadden
@Just an Individual Well you'd be wrong. Clear pronunciation is a big part of the folk singing tradition
Just an Individual
I’m pretty sure a true folk singer is completely incomprehensible.
Bonito
It tells the story of Fergal O'Hanlon, an IRA Volunteer from Ballybay, County Monaghan who was killed at the age of 20 in an attack on Brookeborough Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks in County Fermanagh on 1 January 1957.
LYRICS
Come all you rebels, and list while I sing,
For the love of one's country is a terrible thing.
It banishes fear with the speed of a flame,
And it makes us all part of the patriot game.
My name is O'Hanlon, and I've gone sixteen.
My home is in Monaghan, where I was weaned.
I learnt all my life cruel England to blame,
So now I am part of the patriot game.
It's nearly two years since I wandered away,
With the local battalion of the bold IRA,
I've read of our heroes, and I wanted the same,
To play up my part in the patriot game.
This Ireland of ours has for long been half free;
Six counties are under John Bull's tyranny.
So I gave up my boyhood, to drill and to train
To play my own part in the Patriot game.
And now as I lie here, my body all holes
I think of those traitors who bargained and sold,
And I wish that my rifle had given the same,
To those Quislings who sold out the patriot game.
Itz Danny
Along with Sean South from limerick
Stephen Walker
Anti war song
John Riordan
The unredacted lyrics:
The Patriot Game
Come all you young rebels and list while I sing
For love of ones land is a terrible thing
It banishes fear with the speed of a flame
And makes us all part of the patriot game
My name is O'Hanlon, I'm just gone sixteen
My home is in Monaghan there I was weaned
I learned all my life cruel England to blame
And so I'm part of the patriot game
It's barely a year since I wandered away
With the local battalions of the bold IRA
I read of our heroes and wanted the same
To play up my part in the patriot game
They told me how Connolly was shot in a chair
His wounds from the fighting all bleeding and bare
His fine body twisted all battered and lame
They soon made me part of the patriot game
This Ireland of mine has for long been half-free
Six Counties are under John Bull's Monarchy
But still DeValera is greatly to blame
For shirking his part in the patriot game
I don't mind a bit if I shoot down police
They are lackeys for war never guardians of peace
And yet at deserters I'm never let aim
The rebels who sold out the patriot game
And now as I lie with my body all holes
I think of those traitors who bargained and sold
I'm sorry my rifle has not done the same
For the Quislings who sold out the patriot game