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.
The Irish Rover
The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We set sail from the Coal Quay of Cork
We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks
For the grand City Hall in New York
We'd an elegant craft, it was rigged 'fore and aft
And how the trade winds drove her
She had twenty-three masts and she stood several blasts
And they called her the Irish Rover
There was Barney Magee from the banks of the Lee
There was Hogan from County Tyrone
There was Johnny McGurk who was scared stiff of work
And a chap from Westmeath named Malone
There was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule
And fighting Bill Tracy from Dover
And your man Mick McCann, from the banks of the Bann
Was the skipper on the Irish Rover
We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags
We had two million barrells of bone
We had three million bales of old nanny goats' tails
We had four million barrells of stone
We had five million hogs and six million dogs
And seven million barrells of porter
We had eight million sides of old blind horses' hides
In the hold of the Irish Rover
We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out
And our ship lost her way in a fog
And the whole of the crew was reduced down to two
'Twas myself and the captain's old dog
Then the ship struck a rock, oh, Lord what a shock
And nearly tumbled over
Turned nine times around then the poor old dog was drowned
I'm the last of the Irish Rover
The Irish Rover is a traditional Irish folk song that tells the fictional story of a ship that sets sail from Cork with a cargo full of all sorts of items. The song begins in 1806, when the ship is sailing from Cork to New York, carrying a load of bricks for the construction of the grand City Hall in New York. The Irish Rover was an elegant ship with twenty-three masts that was well-rigged and had a powerful force of wind drive it forward through the ocean.
The song then goes on to introduce the individual crew members of the ship. The first few are Barney Magee from the banks of the Lee, Hogan from County Tyrone, and Johnny McGurk, who was "scared stiff of work." There was also Slugger O'Toole, who was drunk most of the time and loved to get into fights, and a skipper named Mick McCann from the banks of the Bann.
The chorus talks about the massive amounts of cargo on the ship, including one million bags of the best Sligo rags, two million barrels of bone, three million bales of old nanny goats' tails, and eight million sides of old blind horses' hides. The ship had been at sea for seven years when the measles (a highly contagious viral disease) broke out among the passengers. The ship got lost in the fog and eventually had only two survivors: the singer of the song and the captain's old dog. The ship then struck a rock, and the dog drowned. The song ends on a melancholic note, with the singer proclaiming that he is the last of the Irish Rover.
Line by Line Meaning
In the year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and six,
This story takes place in the year 1806.
We set sail from the Coal Quay of Cork
We departed from the Coal Quay of Cork.
We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks
We were transporting bricks as cargo.
For the grand City Hall in New York
Our destination was the City Hall in New York.
We'd an elegant craft, it was rigged 'fore and aft
Our ship was elegantly designed with rigging at the front and back.
And how the trade winds drove her
We were propelled by the trade winds.
She had twenty-three masts and she stood several blasts
Our ship had 23 masts which withstood several blasts.
And they called her the Irish Rover
Our ship was known as the Irish Rover.
There was Barney Magee from the banks of the Lee
One of our crew members was Barney Magee from the banks of the Lee.
There was Hogan from County Tyrone
Another crew member was Hogan from County Tyrone.
There was Johnny McGurk who was scared stiff of work
Johnny McGurk was afraid of work and part of our crew.
And a chap from Westmeath named Malone
Malone was a crew member from Westmeath.
There was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule
Another member of our crew was Slugger O'Toole who was usually drunk.
And fighting Bill Tracy from Dover
One of our crew members, Bill Tracy, from Dover was always ready for a fight.
And your man Mick McCann, from the banks of the Bann
Mick McCann, from the banks of the Bann, was the skipper of our ship.
Was the skipper on the Irish Rover
Mick McCann was the captain of the Irish Rover.
We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags
Our cargo included one million bags of the highest quality Sligo rags.
We had two million barrels of bone
We were transporting two million barrels of bones.
We had three million bales of old nanny goats' tails
Our cargo also included three million bales of old nanny goats' tails.
We had four million barrels of stone
We had four million barrels filled with stones.
We had five million hogs and six million dogs
Along with our cargo were five million hogs and six million dogs.
And seven million barrels of porter
Our ship was carrying seven million barrels of porter.
We had eight million sides of old blind horses' hides
Another part of our cargo were eight million sides of old blind horses' hides.
In the hold of the Irish Rover
All of these items were stored in the hold of the Irish Rover.
We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out
After seven years of sailing, the measles broke out on our ship.
And our ship lost her way in a fog
Due to the fog, our ship got lost.
And the whole of the crew was reduced down to two
Only two people, the captain and I, were left on board after the outbreak and getting lost.
'Twas myself and the captain's old dog
The only ones left were the captain's old dog and myself.
Then the ship struck a rock, oh, Lord what a shock
Unfortunately, our ship hit a rock, causing a shock to all of us.
And nearly tumbled over
Our ship almost capsized.
Turned nine times around then the poor old dog was drowned
After turning nine times around, the captain's old dog drowned.
I'm the last of the Irish Rover
I am the only one left of the Irish Rover crew.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: J BAIRD, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MarkRobertCuthbert
There was Bobby McGee from the banks of the Leith.
There was Hogan from county Tyrone.
There was John D. McGirk, who was scared stiff of work,
And a chap from Westmeath named Malone.
There was Slugger O'Toole, who was drunk as a rule,
And Fighting Bill Tracy from Dover,
And a man, Mick McCann, from the banks of the Bann
Was the skipper of the Irish Rover.
@user-xl6rk9du1s
I somehow came across this song, it's amazing. It's so interesting to learn about different cultures through music while high. Have a nice day and good mood everyone.
Alan from North Ossetia.
@kylemccourt663
I own a Groverbuilt boat. She is a small downeaster style craft made in small numbers by a local legend. The builder is quite the legend locally as he went down in the Guinness Book for piloting the smallest craft (26 feet) ever across the Atlantic. So when I finally became old enough to purchase one of these legendary vessels, I felt it only fitting to name her "The Irish Grover".
@49312317
Timeless excellence
@l.salisbury1253
Best ever Irish musical unit: STIFF LITTLE FINGERS!!
@NumberNile
That's a damn shame... I remember spending nights at my grandparents' house and falling asleep to Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers every night...
@ilikpatoez
i still do that every once in a while my granfather and his wife will sit down and play his old clancy brothers records aaallll night
@jayandirene
And now, they're all gone. That's very sad. They were great.
@feelsman7837
There was Johnny McGurk who was scared stiff of work
And a chap from Westmeath named Malone
There was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a rule
And fighting Bill Tracy from Dover
@MarkRobertCuthbert
There was Bobby McGee from the banks of the Leith.
There was Hogan from county Tyrone.
There was John D. McGirk, who was scared stiff of work,
And a chap from Westmeath named Malone.
There was Slugger O'Toole, who was drunk as a rule,
And Fighting Bill Tracy from Dover,
And a man, Mick McCann, from the banks of the Bann
Was the skipper of the Irish Rover.
@abramtaylor1
Funny little song that points out one of life's hard facts-being Irish is often a drag. I know this from personal experience.