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.
O
Tommy Makem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sally O, Sally O
I wish I had my Sally O
Where the wild birds sing on the mountain
[Chorus]
Let the winds blow high, let the winds blow low
I'd feel no cold from the frost or snow
Where the wild birds sing on the mountain
Oh, I would gather flowers so sweet
Flowers so sweet, flowers so sweet
And pile them 'round my Sally's feet
Where the wild birds sing on the mountain
[Chorus]
Oh, I'd bring salmon from the stream
From the stream, form the stream
And berries fit for any queen
Where the wild birds sing on the mountain
[Chorus]
Oh, we'd have music all the day
All the day, all the day
And peace that drives all care away
Where the wild birds sing on the mountain
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Tommy Makem’s song “O” speak of a longing for a loved one, referred to as Sally O. The singer wishes to have their Sally with them where the wild birds sing on the mountain. The simplicity of the lyrics and the repetition of Sally O create a wistful tone, emphasizing the singer’s loneliness and the distance between them and Sally. The chorus of the song speaks to the resilience of the singer’s love, suggesting that they would feel no cold or hardship if they were reunited with Sally.
The verses of the song speak to the singer’s desire to create a beautiful world for Sally. They mention gathering flowers to pile at Sally’s feet and bringing salmon and berries fit for a queen to her. The last verse suggests that the presence of Sally alone would bring music and peace into the singer’s life, driving away all cares.
Overall, the lyrics of “O” convey a simple yet powerful message of love and longing, emphasizing the beauty of nature and the importance of a loved one’s presence.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I had my Sally O
The singer longs for the company of someone named Sally O
Sally O, Sally O
The singer repeats Sally O's name to emphasize their yearning for her
Where the wild birds sing on the mountain
The singer describes the ideal location for them to be with Sally O
[Chorus]
The artist prepares to repeat the refrain, emphasizing their desire for Sally O
Let the winds blow high, let the winds blow low
The artist doesn't care about the weather as long as they have Sally O
I'd feel no cold from the frost or snow
The presence of Sally O would warm the singer's heart and soul, and the cold weather wouldn't affect them
If I only had my Sally O
The singer's happiness is dependent upon being united with Sally O
Where the wild birds sing on the mountain
The artist repeats the idyllic location from earlier, emphasizing its importance
Oh, I would gather flowers so sweet
In the presence of Sally O, the artist would happily gather beautiful flowers
Flowers so sweet, flowers so sweet
The sweetness of the flowers echoes the sweetness of being with Sally O
And pile them 'round my Sally's feet
The singer desires to offer the flowers to Sally O, demonstrating their love and devotion
Where the wild birds sing on the mountain
The mountainous location remains a prominent feature of the artist's ideal setting
[Chorus]
The singer again repeats their desire for Sally O
Oh, I'd bring salmon from the stream
The singer would be happy to provide food for Sally O, and envisions catching fresh salmon from a nearby stream
From the stream, form the stream
The repetition emphasizes the importance of the stream as a source of sustenance
And berries fit for any queen
The artist imagines finding delicious, regal berries to share with Sally O
Where the wild birds sing on the mountain
The mountain and its singing birds continue to symbolize the artist's perfect setting
[Chorus]
The singer repeats their desire for Sally O
Oh, we'd have music all the day
In the company of Sally O, the singer would enjoy music throughout the entirety of the day
All the day, all the day
The repetition emphasizes the artist's desire for continuous music and happiness
And peace that drives all care away
Being with Sally O brings the artist a sense of peace and tranquility that dispels all of their worries and concerns
Where the wild birds sing on the mountain
The setting and its singing birds remain the ideal place for the artist and Sally O to be together
[Chorus]
The singer repeats their desire for Sally O one final time
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@abrhamgebeyehu933
Well, here I am from Paddy's land, a land of high renown
I've broke the hearts of all the girls for miles round Keady town
And when they hear that I'm awa' they'll raise a hullabaloo
When they hear about that handsome lad they call Jack Donahue!
cho: For I'm the boy that can please her, and I'm the boy to tease her
I'm the boy to squeeze her, ach, an' I'll tell you what I'll do
I'll court her like an Irishman
Wi' me brogue and blarney too is me plan
With the holligan, rolligan, swolligan, molligan bold O'Donahue!
I wish my love was a red. red rose growing on yon garden wall
And me to be a dewdrop and upon her brow I'd fall!
Perhaps now she might think of me as a rather heavy dew
And no more she'd love that handsome lad they call O'Donahue!
Well I hear that Queen Victoria has a daughter fine and grand
Perhaps she'd take it into her head for to marry an Irishman
And if I could only get the chance to have a word or two
I'm sure she'd take a notion to the bold O'Donahue!
@kevinyoung4616
As a young man ,I saw them in New York .In my 50's I saw them in El Paso . Now in my eighties I'm watching them on my phone . I think they sound as great now as they did 55 years ago . Great music never gets old.
@egrogan6482
I came here for the music and stayed for the comments, pure gold here! I was born a Murphy, adopted by Garrick and married a Donoghue, I think that makes me triple Irish - a force to be reckoned with! I'm proud to be Irish especially when I listen to such amazing music. Have a grand day everyone!
@rockstoneballs
Nah you're just American
@heybeeg
It's a bugger of a St Patrick's Day this year with the loss of Tommy Makem. Thank you so much for posting this - it's great to see and hear Tommy and the Clancys again!
@joanmiller5506
Love this! Especially Tommy's expression on the last verse! Tickles me every time!
@noraemma6809
Love the Clancy brothers told my history about England thank god for America
@victortico1
What a great group of Lads RIP
@seanquinn6327
great song! better than a recorded version by a country mile!!!!
@tommymakem737
great song
@dancer101945
omgosh, i love this song! it's great to listen to songs like these on days other than st.patty's day!