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.
Rocky Road to Dublin
The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Left the girls of Tuam so sad and broken hearted,
Saluted father dear, kissed me darling mother,
Drank a pint of beer, me grief and tears to smother,
Then off to reap the corn, leave where I was born,
Cut a stout black thorn to banish ghosts and goblins;
Bought a pair of brogues rattling o'er the bogs
And fright'ning all the dogs on the rocky road to Dublin.
One, two, three four, five,
Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road
all the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah !
In Mullingar that night I rested limbs so weary,
Started by daylight next morning blithe and early,
Took a drop of pure to keep me heartfrom sinking;
Thats a Paddy's cure whenever he's on drinking.
See the lassies smile, laughing all the while
At me curious style, 'twould set your heart a bubblin'
Asked me was I hired, wages I required,
I was almost tired of the rocky road to Dublin.
One, two, three four, five,
Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road
all the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah !
In Dublin next arrived, I thought it such a pity
To be soon deprived a view of that fine city.
So then I took a stroll, all among the quality;
Me bundle it was stole, all in a neat locality.
Something crossed me mind, when I looked behind,
No bundle could I find upon me stick a wobblin'
Enquiring for the rogue, they said me Connaught brogue
Wasn't much in vogue on the rocky road to Dublin.
One, two, three four, five,
Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road
all the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah !
From there I got away, me spirits never falling,
Landed on the quay, just as the ship was sailing.
The Captain at me roared, said that no room had he;
When I jumped aboard, a cabin found for Paddy.
Down among the pigs, played some hearty rigs,
Danced some hearty jigs, the water round me bubbling;
When off Holyhead I wished meself was dead,
Or better for instead on the rocky road to Dublin.
One, two, three four, five,
Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road
all the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah !
Well the boys of Liverpool, when we safely landed,
Called meself a fool, I could no longer stand it.
Blood began to boil, temper I was losing;
Poor old Erin's Isle they began abusing.
"Hurrah me soul" says I, me Shillelagh I let fly.
Some Galway boys were nigh and saw I was a hobble in,
With a load "hurray !" joined in the affray.
We quitely cleared the way for the rocky road to Dublin.
One, two, three four, five,
Hunt the Hare and turn her down
the rocky road and all the way to Dublin,
Whack follol de rah !
The song Rocky Road to Dublin is a story about a man leaving his home in Tuam, Ireland, to head to Dublin in search of work. The journey is described in detail, including the challenges he faced along the way. The song begins with the singer leaving his home in May, bidding farewell to his family and friends, and setting off on his journey. He describes buying a stout black thorn to protect himself from ghosts and goblins, as he travels towards Dublin. He also buys a pair of brogues, which cause a ruckus as they rattle over the bogs, frightening all the dogs.
The song's chorus is "One, two, three, four, five, hunt the hare and turn her, down the rocky road and all the way to Dublin, whack fol la de da". This chorus serves to punctuate the narrative and create a rhythm, making it all the more catchy and appealing. Along the way, the singer meets friendly people, drinks to keep his spirits up and has a few adventures. He also encounters some less friendly people who rob him of his bundle, containing his belongings. Undeterred, he continues on his journey, even enduring a rough sea voyage.
Finally, upon landing in Liverpool, the singer is insulted by the locals, which leads to a scuffle. His fellow Galway boys come to the rescue, and they finally make it to Dublin on the rocky road.
Overall, the song conveys the determination of a man to seek out a better life, despite the obstacles he faced on his journey.
Line by Line Meaning
While in the merry month of May from me home I started,
In the cheerful month of May, I set out from my home
Left the girls of Tuam so sad and broken hearted,
Leaving behind the sorrowful and heartbroken girls of Tuam
Saluted father dear, kissed me darling mother,
I bid farewell to my dear father and kissed my beloved mother
Drank a pint of beer, me grief and tears to smother,
I drank ale to drown my sorrows and wipe away tears
Then off to reap the corn, leave where I was born,
I departed from my birthplace to harvest the corn
Cut a stout black thorn to banish ghosts and goblins;
I cut a tough blackthorn to fend off ghosts and goblins
Bought a pair of brogues rattling o'er the bogs
I purchased a pair of shoes that made noise on the wetlands
And fright'ning all the dogs on the rocky road to Dublin.
Causing fear in all the dogs along the rough path to Dublin
One, two, three four, five,
Reciting numbers to keep my rhythm
Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road
Chasing after the Hare and turning her down the challenging path
all the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah !
Continuing with the upbeat tune, Whack follol de rah!
In Mullingar that night I rested limbs so weary,
In Mullingar, I rested my tired limbs for the night
Started by daylight next morning blithe and early,
Setting off the very next morning, full of cheer and energy
Took a drop of pure to keep me heart from sinking;
I drank a drop of pure alcohol to lift my dour mood
Thats a Paddy's cure whenever he's on drinking.
This is how Paddy cures his spirits when he drinks
See the lassies smile, laughing all the while
Watching the ladies smile and laugh continuously
At me curious style, 'twould set your heart a bubblin'
Amused by my peculiar mannerisms that would make one's heart bubble with joy
Asked me was I hired, wages I required,
The girls asked me if I was employed and how much I earned
I was almost tired of the rocky road to Dublin.
I grew tired of the challenging path to Dublin
In Dublin next arrived, I thought it such a pity
Upon reaching Dublin, I regretted missing the lovely sight
To be soon deprived a view of that fine city.
To have the experience of the lovely city taken away soon after my arrival
So then I took a stroll, all among the quality;
Therefore, I took a leisurely walk among the wealthier population
Me bundle it was stole, all in a neat locality.
Unfortunately, my belongings were stolen in a neat area
Something crossed me mind, when I looked behind,
A thought struck me as I glanced over my shoulder
No bundle could I find upon me sticking wobbling
My belongings were not on my stick which was shaking and unstable
Enquiring for the rogue, they said me Connaught brogue
Asking around for the thief, I was told it was someone from Connaught with a specific accent
Wasn't much in vogue on the rocky road to Dublin.
That accent wasn't popular along the rocky road to Dublin
From there I got away, me spirits never falling,
I managed to leave that place without my spirits dropping
Landed on the quay, just as the ship was sailing.
I arrived at the port just as the ship started sailing
The Captain at me roared, said that no room had he;
The captain bellowed at me, saying there was no room onboard
When I jumped aboard, a cabin found for Paddy.
I hopped onto the ship and found a cabin for myself
Down among the pigs, played some hearty rigs,
I was amongst the pigs playing some lively music
Danced some hearty jigs, the water round me bubbling;
Dancing some lively jigs with the water bubbling around me
When off Holyhead I wished meself was dead,
As we approached Holyhead, I felt like dying
Or better for instead on the rocky road to Dublin.
I would have rather been on the rocky road to Dublin instead
Well the boys of Liverpool, when we safely landed,
The Liverpool boys greeted us as we landed safely
Called meself a fool, I could no longer stand it.
Mocking me for being a fool, I couldn't take it anymore
Blood began to boil, temper I was losing;
My blood started boiling, and I was losing my temper
Poor old Erin's Isle they began abusing.
They started abusing poor old Erin's Isle
"Hurrah me soul" says I, me Shillelagh I let fly.
I exclaimed, "Hooray for my soul!" and fiercely brandished my staff
Some Galway boys were nigh and saw I was a hobble in,
Some Galway boys were nearby and seeing me in trouble
With a loud 'hurray !' joined in the affray.
They cheered loudly and joined in the brawl
We quietly cleared the way for the rocky road to Dublin.
We eventually calmed down and cleared the path for the rocky road to Dublin
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Barney McKenna, Ciaran Padraig Maire Bourke, Luke Kelly, Ronald Joseph Drew
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@6creamypints
Just wonderful. Thanks for posting.
@Chicagoan444
Terrific! Just good singing, pure and simple.
@andrislastovskis2400
Love this!
@christophermcshane7418
Love these guys!
@parknmart
Tremendous lyrics. The ole bright lights/big city conundrum.
@Phantomsbreath
I usually sing this one half-speed. Gives me LOTS of time to breathe.
@jameylum352
tommy makem is awesome!!!!
@lleytonrutz2091
Love this
@noahcorreira3957
I love it
@Domitianvs
Yeah, there's no space in it to breathe, it's hell to sing. But oh, so much fun when you get it going!