After Makem amicably left The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem in 1969, Bobby Clancy joined as the fourth lead vocalist. Two of the Furey Brothers, Finbar Furey and Eddie Furey, also joined at this time as instrumentalists and back-up singers. Paddy asked Finbar Furey if he would play the whistle and five-string banjo with the group. Finbar also added Uillean pipes to his performances, creating a new sound for the group on stage, recordings, and TV. The six-piece band recorded two new albums in the summer of 1969: "Clancy Brothers Christmas", released later that year, and "Flowers in the Valley", released in 1970. The latter was their final album for Columbia Records.
Finbar and Eddie Furey left in 1970, and, for a short time, just the four brothers, Paddy, Tom, Bobby and Liam, performed together. This line-up recorded only one album together, Welcome to Our House, in 1970 for their new label, Audio Fidelity Records. Later that same year, Liam and Bobby got into an argument that resulted in Bobby quitting the group. Bobby later said about his younger brother: "With Liam it was very hard to be equal. I try to make it as equal as possible and everybody's happy that way. It makes it a better sound."
In 1971, the remaining Clancys recruited English folk singer, Louis Killen, to play the banjo, concertina, and spoons with the group. Together they made two studio albums for Audio Fidelity, Save the Land and Show Me the Way, on which they experimented with modernising their sound, musical style, and material, even including pop songs like Elton John's "Country Comfort". They recorded their final album for Audio Fidelity, the more traditional Live on St. Patrick's Day, at the Bushnell Auditorium in Hartford, Connecticut in 1972. It was released the following year.
By the early 1970s, the Clancys reduced their touring schedule to five months a year. The brothers were moving in different directions In spite of the brothers' growing distance, but, in spite of this, the group made one more album with Killen for Vanguard Records, The Clancy Brothers' Greatest Hits, as well as several television appearances on the Irish Rovers Show in Canada and a TV special for Brockton television in 1974 (in which Bobby Clancy made a surprise guest appearance).
In early 1976, a scheduling conflict between a tour of Australia and a television role for Tom Clancy provoked Liam to leave the group. Beginning in 1977, the Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell (who took on the role Liam had vacated) toured three months a year in March, August, and November.
In the summer of 1983, the group travelled to their hometown in Ireland to film a 20-minute special on sea songs, sung on location on the fishing ships in the area. It was called Songs of the Sea. Directed by Irish filmmaker David Donaghy, it was broadcast on the BBC Northern Ireland.
In 1984, Makem and Clancy's manager Maurice Cassidy brought the original foursome The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem together again for a documentary, followed by a concert and the album The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem Reunion.
In 1988, the Clancy Brothers (Paddy, Tom, and Bobby) with Robbie O'Connell recorded a poorly mixed live album at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, titled "Tunes 'n' Tales of Ireland".
With the death of Tom Clancy in 1990, Liam again stepped in full-time with his brothers. This line-up experienced a more active schedule than the group had during the previous decade, with appearances on Regis and Kathie Lee in 1991, 1993 and 1995, a performance at the 30th Anniversary Bob Dylan concert at Madison Square Garden in 1992, seen by 20,000 live and 200 million people worldwide on television, and the formation of Irish Festival Cruises in 1991, an annual cruise of the Caribbean with live folk music. They also brought their own tour groups to Ireland, which Robbie O'Connell continues.
The Bob Dylan concert in 1992 inspired the recording of the first studio album by The Clancy Brothers in over twenty years (since 1973's Greatest Hits). Released in late 1995, "Older But No Wiser" introduced all newly recorded songs with the exception of "When the Ship Comes In", which the group performed at the Dylan concert. It was the only recording to feature the line-up of Paddy, Bobby, Liam Clancy, and Robbie O'Connell. Older But No Wiser was The Clancy Brothers' final album.
Before splitting up, The Clancy brothers and Robbie O'Connell gave a Farewell Tour of Ireland and America in February and March 1996. One performance in Clonmel, as part of their Irish tour, was televised and later released on video and DVD as The Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell: Farewell to Ireland.
After the break-up, Paddy and Bobby continued touring as The Clancy Brothers, with Bobby's son Finbarr Clancy becoming an official member of the group. The trio added longtime friend of Bobby's daughter Aoife, Eddie Dillon, to the group for a thirteen city engagement in early 1997. The quartet was known as the Clancy Brothers and Eddie Dillon. Eddie Dillon, a Boston-based musician, is the only American ever to perform with the Clancy Brothers.
Liam Clancy and Robbie O'Connell toured for a while as a duo, but very soon added Liam's son Dónal Clancy to the mix, forming the group, Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy. They released two albums together, an eponymous debut album in 1997 and an album of sea songs in 1998, The Wild and Wasteful Ocean.
With three brothers having died (Tom in 1990, Pat in 1998, Bobby in 2002), the last surviving Clancy brother, Liam Clancy, continued to tour solo into the twenty-first century. He died in 2009.
Wild Mountain Thyme
The Clancy Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the trees are sweetly bloomin'
And the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the bloomin' heather
Will ye go
Lassie
Go?
To pull wild mountain thyme
All around the bloomin' heather
Will ye go
Lassie
Go?
I will build my love a bower (summerhouse)
By yon cool crystal fountain
And round it I will pile
All the wild flowers o' the mountain
Will ye go
Lassie
Go?
I will range through the wilds
And the deep glen sae dreamy
And return wi' their spoils
Tae the bower o' my dearie
Will ye go
Lassie
Go?
If my true love she'll not come
Then I'll surely find another
To pull wild mountain thyme
All around the bloomin' heather
Will ye go
Lassie
Go?
The Clancy Brothers's song Wild Mountain Thyme speaks of the beauty and allure of nature during the summer season. The opening lines "O the summer time has come, And the trees are sweetly blooming" sets the tone for a romantic proposition to a woman, whom the singer calls "lassie". The wild mountain thyme referred to in the song serves as a metaphor for the fleeting beauty of the outdoors. The singer requests the woman to join him in picking the wild plant that grows around the blooming heather, a symbolic representation of love.
The singer further goes on to state his plan of building a bower, a summerhouse for his true love, by a crystal fountain that he'll decorate with wild flowers from the mountains. The mention of the deep glen sae dreamy depicts the enchanting and mystical nature of the Scottish landscape. If his love does not accept his invitation, he'll move on to another, and continue to revel in the natural beauty around him.
Overall, Wild Mountain Thyme is a celebration of love and nature, with the latter serving as a setting for the former. It reflects the Scottish love for nature and how it is deeply rooted in their traditions and culture.
Line by Line Meaning
O the summer time has come
The season of summer has arrived
And the trees are sweetly bloomin'
The trees are beautifully in bloom
And the wild mountain thyme
The wild thyme that grows on the mountain
Grows around the bloomin' heather
Grows near the heather that is in bloom
Will ye go
Are you willing to go
Lassie
A young girl or woman
Go?
Will you go?
And we'll all go together
We will all go with each other
To pull wild mountain thyme
To gather the wild thyme that grows on the mountain
All around the bloomin' heather
Everywhere near the blooming heather
Will ye go
Are you willing to go
Lassie
A young girl or woman
Go?
Will you go?
I will build my love a bower (summerhouse)
I will construct a summerhouse for my beloved
By yon cool crystal fountain
Next to that cool, clear fountain
And round it I will pile
I will surround it with
All the wild flowers o' the mountain
All the wildflowers from the mountain
Will ye go
Are you willing to go
Lassie
A young girl or woman
Go?
Will you go?
I will range through the wilds
I will wander through the wilderness
And the deep glen sae dreamy
Through the deep valley so serene
And return wi' their spoils
And bring back treasures
Tae the bower o' my dearie
To the summerhouse of my beloved
Will ye go
Are you willing to go
Lassie
A young girl or woman
Go?
Will you go?
If my true love she'll not come
If my true love will not come with me
Then I'll surely find another
Then I will surely find someone else
To pull wild mountain thyme
To gather the wild thyme that grows on the mountain
All around the bloomin' heather
Everywhere near the blooming heather
Will ye go
Are you willing to go
Lassie
A young girl or woman
Go?
Will you go?
Contributed by Isabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@cecircinn2908
@James https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tUyj9vCi94
Alma Gluck singing 1914
Alma Gluck was a Romanian-born American soprano.so the song must have spread for her to sing it in New York in 1914
Tannnahil wrote the lyrics and died in 1810 It was published in Robert Archibald Smith's Scottish Minstrel in 1821 It is worth comparing the lyrics to this song ...it even starts "Let us go, lassie, go "and has "Wi' the wild mountain thyme" in the lyrics ...
"I will twin thee a bow'r
By the clear silver fountain
And I'll cover it o'er
Wi' the flooers o' the mountain....
Remember written by a man who died in 1810 (140 years BEFORE the 1950's )
Lyrics
Let us go, lassie, go
Tae the braes o' Balquhidder
Whar the blueberries grow
'Mang the bonnie Hielan' heather
Whar the deer and the rae
Lichtly bounding thegither
Sport the lang summer day
On the braes o' Balquhidder
I will twin thee a bow'r
By the clear silver fountain
And I'll cover it o'er
Wi' the flooers o' the mountain
I will range through the wilds
And the deep glens sae dreary
And return wi' their spoils
Tae the bow'r o' my dearie
Let us go, lassie, go
Tae the braes o' Balquhidder
Whar the blueberries grow
'Mang the bonnie Hielan' heather
When the rude wintry win'
Idly raves roun' oor dwellin'
And the roar o' the linn
On the nicht breeze is swellin'
So merrily we'll sing
As the storm rattles o'er us
Till the dear shielin' ring
Wi' the licht liltin' Let us go, lassie, go
Tae the braes o' Balquhidder
Whar the blueberries grow
'Mang the bonnie Hielan' heather
Noo the summers in prime
Wi' the flooers richly bloomin'
Wi' the wild mountain thyme
A' the moorlan's perfumin'
Tae oor dear native scenes
Let us journey thegither
Whar glad innocence reigns
'Mang the braes o' Balquhidder
Let us go, lassie, go
Tae the braes o' Balquhidder
Whar the blueberries grow
'Mang the bonnie Hielan' heather
Whar the deer and the rae
Lichtly bounding thegither
Sport the lang summer day
On the braes o' Balquhidder
@kathleenhannan
I have loved and sung this song my whole life. My family learned it from early recordings of the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem. But I had never till tonight heard/seen this version. Gosh. This is the pure essence of this song...the fiddler, though not seen on camera, is giving gorgeous support to the singers' heart filled voices. And the audience singing along brings me memories of singing this with so many groups of people over the years. I am imagining that the fact this was a reunion concert might have something to do with the beauty of it. Thank you so much for posting it.
@Pihasanddunes1
Beautiful is too small a word for this. Respect to the brothers and Tommy. This is music.
@richarddoyle8699
This song warms the soul everytime.
@SmartStart24
I remember I was in middle school when I discovered The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. When I was about 13 Tommy was playing the Milwaukee Irish Fest and I begged my mom to take me. We took the train up and it was a rainy day but we made it and sat in our ponchos and watched Tommy play. It was so fascinating to me. I was too scared to ask to meet him, which I sort of regret. He died shortly after that. May he and the Clancy bros rest in peace. Their music is timeless.
@SteppingRaven56
Saw Tommy solo at the Ann Arbor Folk Fest in the 80s. Unforgettable.
@adenernest9987
you prolly dont give a shit but does any of you know of a method to log back into an Instagram account?
I was dumb lost the login password. I love any tricks you can give me.
@robertoandrew9360
@Aden Ernest Instablaster ;)
@adenernest9987
@Roberto Andrew I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm waiting for the hacking stuff now.
Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
@adenernest9987
@Roberto Andrew it worked and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy:D
Thank you so much, you saved my account !
@LHMCB
Tommy Makem looked so young...but he was truly ageless, and a towering voice in Irish music.