Makem was born and raised in Keady, County Armagh (the "Hub of the Universe" as Makem always said), in Northern Ireland. His mother, Sarah Makem, was an important source of traditional Irish music, who was visited and recorded by, among others, Diane Guggenheim Hamilton, Jean Ritchie, Peter Kennedy and Sean O'Boyle. His father, Peter Makem, was a fiddler who also played the bass drum in a local pipe band named "Oliver Plunkett", after a martyr of the Cromwell age. His brother and sister were folk musicians also. Young Tommy Makem, from the age of 8, was member of the St. Patrick's church choir for 15 years where he sang Gregorian chant and motets. He didn't learn to read music but he made it in his "own way".
He started to work at 14 as a clerk in a garage and later he worked for a while as a barman at Mone's Bar, a local pub and as a local correspondent for The Armagh Observer.
He emigrated to the United States in 1955, carrying his few possessions and a set of bagpipes (from his time in a pipe band). Arriving in Dover, New Hampshire, he worked at Kidder Press, where in 1956 his hand was accidentally crushed by a press.[4] With his arm in a sling, he left Dover for New York to pursue an acting career.
The Clancys and Makem were signed to Columbia Records in 1961. The same year, at the Newport Folk Festival, Makem and Joan Baez were named the most promising newcomers on the American folk scene. During the 1960s, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem performed sellout concerts at such venues as Carnegie Hall, and made television appearances on shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show. The group performed for President Kennedy. They also played in smaller venues such as the Gate of Horn in Chicago. They appeared jointly in the UK Albums Chart in April 1966, when Isn't It Grand Boys reached number 22.
Makem left the group in 1969 to pursue a solo career. In 1975, he and Liam Clancy were both booked to play a folk festival in Cleveland, Ohio, and were persuaded to do a set together. Thereafter they often performed as Makem and Clancy, recording several albums together. At a concert in 1977, Tommy noticed an audience member having a good time and exclaimed, "What have you been smoking? Good whatever you have, pass it around to the rest of them we'll all get goin'!" He once again went solo in 1988. Throughout the 70's and 80's Makem performed both solo and with Liam Clancy on The Irish Rovers various television shows, which were filming both in Canada and Ireland.
In the 1980-90s, Makem was a principal in a well-known Irish music venue in New York City, "Tommy Makem's Irish Pavilion." This East 57th Street club was a prominent and well-loved performance spot for a wide range of musicians. Among the performers and visitors were Paddy Reilly, Joe Burke, and Ronnie Gilbert. Makem was a regular performer, often solo and often as part of Makem & Clancy, particularly in the late fall and holiday season. The club was also used for warm-up performances in the weeks before the 1984 reunion concert of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem at Lincoln Center. In addition, the after-party for Bob Dylan's legendary 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration at Madison Square Garden in 1992 was held at the Irish Pavilion.
In 1997 he wrote a book, Tommy Makem's Secret Ireland, and in 1999 premiered his own one-man theatre show, Invasions and Legacies, in New York. His career includes various other acting, video, composition, and writing credits. He also established the Tommy Makem International Festival of Song in South Armagh in 2000.
Makem was married to Mary Shanahan, a native of Chicago, for 37 years, and had four children - daughter Katie Makem-Boucher, and sons Shane, Conor and Rory. They also had two grandchildren, Molly (Dickerman) Makem and Robert Boucher. Mary died in 2001.
Makem's three sons (who perform as "The Makem Brothers") and nephews Tom & Jimmy Sweeney continue the family folk music tradition.
Makem died in Dover, New Hampshire on August 1, 2007, following a lengthy battle with lung cancer. He continued to record and perform until very close to the end. Paying tribute to him after his death, Liam Clancy said, "He was my brother in every way" He is buried next to his wife at New Saint Mary Cemetery in Dover.
Makem was a prolific composer/songwriter. His performances were always full of his compositions, many of which became standards in the repertoire. Some, notably "Four Green Fields", became so well known that they were sometimes described as anonymous folk songs. During the fall of the Iron Curtain, Makem often proudly told the story that his song "The Winds Are Singing Freedom" had become a sort of folk anthem among Eastern Europeans seeing a new future opening before them.
Makem's best-known songs include "Four Green Fields", "Gentle Annie", "The Rambles of Spring", "The Winds Are Singing Freedom", "The Town of Ballybay", "Winds of the Morning", "Mary Mack", and "Farewell to Carlingford". Even though many people mistakenly believe that Makem wrote "Red is the Rose", it is a traditional Irish folk song.
Makem had a gripping stage presence – the result of years of public performance, a charismatic personality, and a bard's voice. An army of friends and fans attended his frequent concerts, many recognizing each other at far-flung venues. Performances frequently included the following familiar elements:
Original Makem compositions; the first set often began with "The Rambles of Spring"
The standard repertoire of folk and Irish music, both well-known and little-known (but never "Danny Boy", "When Irish Eyes are Smiling", "Toorah Loorah Looral", or other forbidden requests)
Oddball songs, such as "Bridie Murphy and the Kamikaze Pilot" (Colm Gallagher) or "William Bloat" (Raymond Calvert)
Poetic recitations, often as introductions to songs; a frequent source was William Butler Yeats. (Thus "Gentle Annie" usually began with "When You Are Old and Grey", and Four Green Fields usually began with Seamus Heaney's "Requiem for the Croppies".)
Jokes, often silly, made funnier through repetition:
"If your nose is running and your feet smell, you're upside down."
Rarely: monologues, such as Marriott Edgar's "The Lion and Albert"
Exhortations, nearly always successful, for the audience to join in the singing
He received many awards and honours, including three honorary doctorates: one from the University of New Hampshire in 1998, one from the University of Limerick in 2001, and one from the University of Ulster in 2007; as well as the World Folk Music Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. With the Clancy Brothers he was listed among the top 100 Irish-Americans of the 20th century in 1999.[10]
A bridge over the Cocheco River on Washington Street in Makem's long-time home of Dover, New Hampshire, was named the Tommy and Mary Makem Memorial Bridge in 2010.
Blue Eyed Mary
Tommy Makem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the winter sun is low
And it's painting shadows on the old brown hills
And the meadows down below
But when Mary walks those misty fields
It's like a summer's day
For sunshine goes where Mary goes
[Chorus]
Blue eyed Mary, lovely Mary
Blue eyed Mary, the love light of my soul
There's a blackbird singing in a green oak tree
And the song is sweet and clear
To welcome crocuses and daffodils
In the springing of the year
But when Mary sings her golden songs
The birds are hushed and still
And spring is sweeter than before
On every flowering hill
[Chorus]
Oh Mary is fairer than the brightest dawn
Or the sweetest flower in May
But it was her tenderness and gentle soul
That stole my heart away
And where Mary goes, I'll follow her
'Til time has ceased to be
For yesterday, she kissed my lips
And gave her love to me
[Chorus]
Tommy Makem's song "Blue Eyed Mary" is a love song that celebrates the beauty and charm of Mary. The opening lines describe Mary walking through the fields while the winter sun is low and casting shadows on the brown hills. Despite the dreariness of winter, Mary brings sunshine wherever she goes. The chorus reinforces this idea, calling Mary the "love light of my soul," emphasizing the idea that Mary's radiant presence brightens the world around her.
The second verse moves from winter to spring, as the blackbird's sweet song greets the coming of crocuses and daffodils. But the songbird's music pales in comparison to Mary's golden voice. When Mary sings, everything else falls silent, and spring becomes even sweeter. The final verse describes Mary's beauty as being fairer than the brightest dawn or sweetest flower in May. However, it's Mary's tenderness and gentle soul that captured the singer's heart. Despite the certainty of time's passage, the singer vows to follow Mary wherever she goes.
Overall, "Blue Eyed Mary" is a simple, heartfelt love song that emphasizes the transformative power of a beloved's presence. Whether it's through Mary's physical beauty, her radiant presence, or her silencing of the birds, she transforms the world around her in subtle but profound ways.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a black crow sitting on a bare oak tree
The scene is set with a black crow perched on an empty oak tree
And the winter sun is low
The sun is setting and winter is in its peak
And it's painting shadows on the old brown hills
As the sun sets, it casts long shadows on the nearby hills, which fades away slowly
And the meadows down below
The fields look vast and empty, surrounding the artist's view
But when Mary walks those misty fields
However, the artist's view turns optimistic as soon as Mary walks through these fields
It's like a summer's day
Even though it's winter, it feels like a summer day because Mary is around
For sunshine goes where Mary goes
Mary is like the sun, bringing warmth and light to everything around her
To light her on her way
She has so much brilliance and radiance that it lights up her surroundings
[Chorus]
The artist sings praises for Mary with this chorus
There's a blackbird singing in a green oak tree
The artist now observes a blackbird singing in a lush green oak tree
And the song is sweet and clear
The song is melodious and crystal clear
To welcome crocuses and daffodils
The spring season has arrived, and the flowers start to bloom
In the springing of the year
Spring has arrived after winter
But when Mary sings her golden songs
As sweet as the blackbird's song was, Mary's singing is even more melodic
The birds are hushed and still
All the other birds in the area hear Mary's voice and become silent in respect of her greater talent
And spring is sweeter than before
The coming of spring is made sweeter by Mary's golden voice
On every flowering hill
The hills fill with the sweet sound of Mary's voice, just like the fields fill with flowers during spring
[Chorus]
The chorus is repeated out of deep admiration and respect for Mary
Oh Mary is fairer than the brightest dawn
Mary's beauty is compared to that of the beautiful sunrise
Or the sweetest flower in May
Or the most fragrant flower blooming during spring
But it was her tenderness and gentle soul
Her tender heart and compassionate soul make her beautiful beyond physical appearance
That stole my heart away
The artist fell in love with Mary because of these admirable qualities
And where Mary goes, I'll follow her
The singer has become enamored with Mary and is willing to go wherever she goes
'Til time has ceased to be
The artist is willing to follow her, even if it takes a lifetime or more
For yesterday, she kissed my lips
The singer remembers with joy that Mary kissed them the previous day
And gave her love to me
Mary returned the singer's feelings of love
[Chorus]
The song ends with another chorus praising Mary's love and light.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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