Formed while the members were working in America, the initial impetus was to record an album of Irish rebel songs (released as "The Rising of the Moon") as one of the first releases in 1956 of new folk label, Tradition Records. Paddy Clancy's harmonica provided the only musical accompaniment for this debut album.
Little thought was given at that point to continuing as a singing group. The four were all were busy establishing careers (in the theatre) for themselves, in addition to their work at Tradition Records. With the album being a local success, requests were often demanded for the brothers and Makem to sing some of their songs at parties and informal pub settings. Slowly, the singing gigs began to outweigh the acting gigs and by 1959, serious thought was given to a new album. Liam had developed some guitar skills, Tommy's hand, which hasd been injured, had healed enough that he was again able to play tin whistle and Uilleann pipes, and the times spent singing together had improved their style. No longer were they the rough, mostly unaccompanied group of actors singing for an album to jump-start a record label; they were becoming a professional singing group.
The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music singing group. Most popular in the 1960s, they were famed for their woolly Aran jumpers and are widely credited with popularizing Irish traditional music in the United States. The brothers were Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, Tom Clancy, Bobby Clancy and Liam Clancy. Paddy, Tom, Bob, and Liam are best known for their work with Tommy Makem, recording dozens of albums together as The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. They were a primary influence on a young Bob Dylan and on many other emerging artists.
The release of their second album, this one of Irish drinking songs called "Come Fill Your Glass with Us", solidified their new careers as singers. The album was a success, and they made many appearances on the pub circuit in New York, Chicago, and Boston. It was at their first official gig after "Come Fill Your Glass With Us" that the group finally found a name for themselves. The nightclub owner asked for a name to put on the marquee, but they had not decided on one yet. Unable to agree on a name (which included suggestions like "The Beggermen", "The Tinkers", and even "The Chieftains") the owner decided for them, simply billing them as "The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem". The name stuck. They decided to try singing full-time for six months. If their singing was successful, they would continue with it; if not, then they would return to acting. The Clancy brothers and Tommy Makem proved successful as a singing group and in early 1961, they attracted the attention of scouts from The Ed Sullivan Show.
The Clancy Brothers' mother read news of the terrible ice and snow storms in New York City so she sent Aran sweaters for her sons and Tommy Makem to keep them warm. Paddy and Liam Clancy stated they wore the sweaters for the first time in the Blue Angel club. When Marty Erlichman, their manager, saw the sweaters, he was beside himself! "That's it!" he exclaimed. I've been looking for a special costume for the group. It was also the night that Barbra Streisand sang in the Blue Angel for the first time. The sweaters became the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem's trademark. When back in their hometown, the band purchased their Aran jumpers from Babington, on the main street. Babington had a local woman by the name of Betty McGillivray née Duggan knit the jumpers and supply the shop on regular occasions.
On 12 March 1961, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem performed for 16 minutes in front of a televised audience of 80 million people on The Ed Sullivan Show. As Pearl Bailey did not show that night, the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem were given her time. The televised performance instantly attracted the attention of John Hammond of Columbia Records. The group was offered a five-year contract with an advance of $100,000, a huge sum in 1961. For their first album with Columbia, they enlisted Pete Seeger as backup banjo player for the live album A Spontaneous Performance Recording It included songs that would soon become classics, such as "Brennan on the Moor," "Jug of Punch," "Reilly's Daughter," "Finnegan's Wake," "Haul Away Joe," "Roddy McCorley," "Portlairge" and "Moonshiner." The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1961.
By the end of 1961, they had released two more albums, one final one with Tradition Records, and another with Columbia, Hearty and Hellish: A Live Nightclub Performance, and they were playing Carnegie Hall. Additionally, they were making appearances on major radio and television talk-shows in America.
1962 proved to be an even better year. Ciarán MacMathuna, a popular radio personality in Ireland, was visiting America when he heard of the group. He collected the few albums they had out at the time, brought them back home to Ireland and played them on his radio show. The broadcasts skyrocketed the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem to fame in Ireland, where they were still unknown. In Ireland, songs like "Roddy McCorley," "Kevin Barry" and "Brennan on the Moor" were slow, depressing songs full of melancholy, but the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem had transformed those songs (the disgruntled purists in Ireland said "commercialized") and made them lively. For generations the songs had been a reminder of the troubles in Ireland and therefore they weren't anything anybody sang proudly. The Clancy Brothers changed all that, and the transformed songs reinvigorated Ireland's pride in her music. The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem were brought over for a sold-out tour of Ireland in late 1962. Popularity in England and other parts of Europe soon followed, as well as Australia and Canada. By 1963, appearing on major talk-shows in America, Canada, England, Australia and Ireland, as well as their own TV specials, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem were "the most famous four Irishmen in the world" as said by Ireland's Late Late Show host, Gay Byrne, in a retrospective interview in 1984. In 1964, one third of all the albums sold in Ireland were Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem records.
The 1960s continued to be a successful decade with the release of approximately two albums per year, all of which sold millions of copies. They continued to peak with television appearances in front of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Their popularity is the result of several factors. There was already an American folk revival beginning in the United States, and men such as Ewan MacColl popularizing old songs on the other side of the Atlantic. But it was the Clancys' boisterous performances that set them apart, taking placid classics and giving them a boost of energy and spirit (not that they took this approach with all their songs; they would still sing the true mournful ballads with due reverence).
But by the late 1960s, rock music had taken full swing, and the ballad and folk boom was waning. To keep the band at the top, Teo Macero began producing their records for Columbia. Macero introduced new instrumentation to their music, including Louis Killen coming in to play concertina on backup, particularly on their 1968 album of sea songs, Sing of the Sea. But their last three albums for Columbia Record in 1969 and 1970 are considered by many to be overproduced, with a multitude of string instruments and synthesizers added to the simpler traditional Clancy mix of guitar, banjo, tin whistle and harmonica.
In 1969, the group recorded a song for a two-minute-long TV ad for Gulf Oil: "Bringin' Home the Oil". They adapted a traditional Scottish tune they had recorded, "The Gallant Forty Twa," with new words about large-capacity supertankers. The song and commercial featured the then-largest supertanker in the world, the Universe Ireland, which operated with sister ships Universe Kuwait, Universe Japan and Universe Portugal, all mentioned in the song and which operated from the seaport at Bantry Bay.
1969 marked the amicable departure of Tommy Makem from the group. Giving them a year's notice, Makem left in April 1969 to pursue a solo career armed with such recent compositions as "Four Green Fields", debuted on 1968's Clancy Brothers album, Home Boys Home.
The "other brother", Bobby Clancy, filled Tommy Makem's vacancy and the band became The Clancy Brothers.
Courtin' in the Kitchen
The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come single belle and beau, to me now pay attention
And love, I'll plainly show, is the divil′s own invention.
For once I fell in love with a damsel most bewitchin'
Miss Henrietta Bell, down in Captain Kelly's kitchen
Cho:
To my toora loora la, my toora loora laddy
Ri toora loora la, ri toora loora laddy.
Not far from Stephen′s Green, where Miss Bell for tea would go, sir
Her manners were so free, she set me heart a-twitchin'
She invited me to tea, down in Captain Kelly′s kitchen.
Next Sunday bein' the day we were to have the flare-up
I dressed myself quite gay, an′ I frizzed and oiled my hair up
The Captain had no wife, he had gone out a-fishin'
So we kicked up high life, below-stairs in the kitchen.
Just as the clock struck six we sat down to the table
She served me tea and cakes --- I ate while I was able,
I ate cakes, drank punch and tea, till my side had got a stitch in
And the hours flew quick away, while coortin′ in the kitchen.
With my arms around her waist, I kissed ---she hinted marriage
To the door in dreadful haste came Captain Kelly's carriage!
Her looks told me full well that moment she was wishin'
That I′d get out to Hell, or somewhere far from the kitchen.
She flew up off my knees, full seven feet or higher
And over heads and heels, threw me slap into the fire
My new Repealers coat, that I′d bought from Mrs. Stichen
With a thirty-shilling note, went to blazes in the kitchen.
I grieved to see my duds, all besmeared with smoke and ashes
When a tub of dirty suds, right in my face she dashes.
As I lay on the floor, still the water she kept pitchin'
Till the footman broke the door, and marched into the kitchen.
When the Captain came downstairs, and seen my situation
In spite of all my prayers I was marched off to the station
For me they′d take no bail, tho' to get home I was itchin′
And I had to tell the tale of how I got in the kitchen.
I said she did invite me, but she gave a flat denial
For assault she did indict me, and I was sent for trial.
She swore I robbed the house, in spite of all her screechin'
And I got six months hard, for my coortin′ in the kitchen.
Recorded by Galvin - Irish Love Songs, Clancys
Filename[ COORTINK
RG
The song "Courtin' in the Kitchen" tells the humorous story of a young man who falls in love with a charming woman named Miss Henrietta Bell. The singer, a grocer's apprentice, becomes infatuated with Miss Bell after she frequents his workplace for tea. They arrange to meet in Captain Kelly's kitchen for a Sunday rendezvous. As they enjoy their time together, the singer becomes increasingly enamored with Miss Bell, even dreaming of marrying her. However, their courting is abruptly interrupted when Captain Kelly returns home unexpectedly. This leads to a chaotic scene where Miss Bell forcefully throws the singer into the fire and ruins his clothes. Eventually, the situation escalates when the singer is arrested and sent to trial, accused of robbing Captain Kelly's house.
Line by Line Meaning
Come single belle and beau, to me now pay attention
Listen up, all you single ladies and gentlemen
And love, I'll plainly show, is the divil′s own invention.
I'll explain how love can be quite troublesome
For once I fell in love with a damsel most bewitchin'
I once became infatuated with a captivating young woman
Miss Henrietta Bell, down in Captain Kelly's kitchen
Her name was Henrietta Bell, and she worked in Captain Kelly's kitchen
Cho: To my toora loora la, my toora loora laddy
Ri toora loora la, ri toora loora laddy.
Chorus: Sing along to the toora loora la, toora loora laddy
At the age of seventeen, I was ′prenticed to a grocer
When I was seventeen, I started working as an apprentice to a grocer
Not far from Stephen′s Green, where Miss Bell for tea would go, sir
I worked near Stephen's Green, where Miss Bell often went for tea
Her manners were so free, she set me heart a-twitchin'
She had such a charming personality that my heart fluttered
She invited me to tea, down in Captain Kelly′s kitchen.
She extended an invitation for me to have tea in Captain Kelly's kitchen
Next Sunday bein' the day we were to have the flare-up
We planned to have an exciting day next Sunday
I dressed myself quite gay, an′ I frizzed and oiled my hair up
I made myself look stylish and put a lot of effort into grooming
The Captain had no wife, he had gone out a-fishin'
Captain Kelly was not married and was out fishing
So we kicked up high life, below-stairs in the kitchen.
We enjoyed ourselves and had a great time in the kitchen
Just as the clock struck six we sat down to the table
When the clock hit six, we sat down at the table
She served me tea and cakes --- I ate while I was able
She offered me tea and cakes, and I happily indulged
I ate cakes, drank punch and tea, till my side had got a stitch in
I ate so much cake, drank punch and tea that I had a stomachache
And the hours flew quick away, while coortin′ in the kitchen.
Time passed by quickly as we flirted and enjoyed each other's company in the kitchen
With my arms around her waist, I kissed ---she hinted marriage
I kissed her while holding her waist, and she implied that she wanted to get married
To the door in dreadful haste came Captain Kelly's carriage!
Suddenly, Captain Kelly's carriage arrived at the door in a hurry
Her looks told me full well that moment she was wishin'
From her facial expressions, I could tell she wanted me to leave immediately
That I′d get out to Hell, or somewhere far from the kitchen.
She wanted me to leave the kitchen and go away, perhaps even to hell
She flew up off my knees, full seven feet or higher
She jumped up from my lap, reaching a height of at least seven feet
And over heads and heels, threw me slap into the fire
She tossed me forcefully, causing me to fall headfirst into the fire
My new Repealers coat, that I′d bought from Mrs. Stichen
My recently purchased Repealers coat, from Mrs. Stichen's shop, was ruined
With a thirty-shilling note, went to blazes in the kitchen.
The thirty-shilling note I spent on the coat was lost and completely destroyed in the kitchen
I grieved to see my duds, all besmeared with smoke and ashes
I felt sorrowful seeing my clothes covered in smoke and ashes
When a tub of dirty suds, right in my face she dashes.
To add insult to injury, she threw a tub of dirty soapy water in my face
As I lay on the floor, still the water she kept pitchin'
As I lay on the floor, she continued to pour water over me
Till the footman broke the door, and marched into the kitchen.
Eventually, the footman broke down the door and entered the kitchen
When the Captain came downstairs, and seen my situation
When Captain Kelly came downstairs and saw me in my sorry state
In spite of all my prayers I was marched off to the station
Despite my pleas, I was taken to the police station
For me they′d take no bail, tho' to get home I was itchin′
They refused to let me post bail, even though I desperately wanted to go home
And I had to tell the tale of how I got in the kitchen.
I was forced to recount the story of how I ended up in the kitchen
I said she did invite me, but she gave a flat denial
I tried to defend myself by saying she had invited me, but she outright denied it
For assault she did indict me, and I was sent for trial.
She accused me of assault, and I was summoned to stand trial
She swore I robbed the house, in spite of all her screechin'
She insisted that I had robbed the house, despite her loud protests
And I got six months hard, for my coortin′ in the kitchen.
As a result, I was sentenced to six months of hard labor for my flirting in the kitchen
Recorded by Galvin - Irish Love Songs, Clancys
This song was recorded by Galvin and can be found in the album 'Irish Love Songs' by the Clancy Brothers
Filename[ COORTINK
This song's filename is 'COORTINK'
RG
This information was provided by RG
Writer(s): Tom Clancy, Pat Clancy, Tommy Makem, Liam Clancy
Contributed by Annabelle J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Edited6
Probably the most accurate lyrics I've seen on this channel. Still not very helpful for learning to sing along though.
Come single belle and beau unto me pay attention
Don't ever fall in love it's the Devil's own invention
For once I fell in love with a maiden so bewitchin'
Miss Henrietta Bell out of Captain Kelly's kitchen
CHORUS
With me too-ra-loo-ra-la, me too-ra-loo-ra-laddie
Me too-ra-loo-ra-la, too-ra-loo-ra-laddie
At the age of seventeen I was 'prenticed to a grocer
Not far from Steven's Green where Miss Henry used to go sir
Her manners were sublime, she set me heart a twitchin'
And she invited me to a hooley in the kitchen... Chorus
Next Sunday being the day we were to have the flare up
I dressed meself quite gay and I frizzed and oiled me hair up
The Captain had no wife and he had gone a fishin'
And we kicked up high life down below stairs in the kitchen... Chorus
Just as the clock struck six we sat down to the table
She handed tay and cake and I ate while I was able
I drank hot punch and tay till me side had got to stitchin'
And the hours passed quick away when you're courtin in the kitchen... Chorus
With me arms around her waist she slyly hinted marriage
To the door in dreadful haste came Captain Kelly's carriage
Her eyes down filled with hate and poison she was spittin'
When the captain at the door walked right into the kitchen... Chorus
She flew up off me knees full five feet up or higher
And over head and heels through me slap into the fire
Me new repealer's coat that I bought from Mr. Mitchell
With a twenty shilling note went to blazes in the kitchen... Chorus
I grieved to see me duds all smeared with soot and ashes
When a tub of dirty suds right in me face she dashes
As I lay on the floor the water she kept pitchin'
The footman broke the door and walked straight into the kitchen... Chorus
When the Captain came downstairs though he saw me situation
In spite all of me prayers I was marched off to the station
For me they'd take no bail but to get home I was itchin'
But I had to tell the tale how I came into the kitchen... Chorus
I said she did invite me but she gave a flat denial
For assault she did indict me and I was sent for trial
She swore I robbed the house in spite of all her screechin'
And I got six months hard for me courtin' in the kitchen... Chorus
@charliehalloween8835
Come single belle and beau, unto me pay attention
Don't ever fall in love, it's the devil's own invention
Once I fell in love with a maiden so bewitchin'
Miss Henrietta Bell out of Captain Kelly's Kitchen
Chorus:
With my tooral-ooral-I, and my tooral-ooral-addy
With my tooral-ooral-I, and my tooral-ooral-addy
At the age of seventeen, I was 'prenticed to a grocer
Not far from Stephen's Green, where Miss Henry used to go sir
Her manners were sublime and she set my heart a-twitchin'
And she invited me to a hooley in the kitchen
Chorus
Next Sunday being the day, we were to have the "flare-up"
I dressed myself quite gay and I frizzed and oiled my hair up
The captain had no wife, faith he had gone out fishin'
And we kicked up high life down below stairs in the kitchen
Chorus
With her arms around my waist, she slyly hinted marriage
To the door in dreadful haste, came Captain Kelly's carriage
Her eyes soon filled with hate and poison she was spittin'
When the captain at the door, walked right into the kitchen
Chorus
When the captain came downstairs, though he saw my situation
In spite of all my prayers, I was marched off to the station
For me they'd take no bail, but to get home I was itchin'
And I had to tell the tale how I came into the kitchen
Chorus
I said she did invite me, but she gave a flat denial
For a**ault, she did indict me and I was sent for trial
She swore I robbed the house in spite of all her screechin'
And I got six months "hard" for my courtin in the kitchen
Chorus
@mgebi1
I still have many of my moms irish records. Some great music from my youth. Still love it🇮🇪☘️.
@turntablesrockmyworld9315
I still have old Irish Recordsfrom the late 60s/early 70s I grew up with.
@53wick
I never dreamed I would be able to hear these songs again. I didn't know who they were performed by. I only ever heard them because my uncle used to have a drop or two while playing the music at a good volume. I love this music and these artists. Thank you very much for sharing them .
@mekdivs
Unbelieveable tune, great for the sing alongs
@dixiewalsh9502
Jaysus Kevin ur not wrong
@Aint1S
Stumbled across this one... love it! I see why Irish people can hammer down pints, they have good music!
@Wilkins_Micawber
So many years since I bought this LP. I was such a fan of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. I believe I had all their records; I can’t be certain though. I still have them except one “In Concert at Carnegie Hall”, that went missing. However I managed to get a Pirate copy which I put on a CD.
@nmcg6639
I remember listening to this when I was a teen in the 60s. great stuff ,they are all gone!
@victortico1
What a great group of lads.
@dermotmahon2008
Great memories listening to this with my dad back in the day