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.
The Boys of Killybegs
Tommy Makem Lyrics
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And her fishermen are hardy, brave and free
And the big Atlantic swell is a thing they know right well
As they fight to take a living from the sea
With the pleasant rolling sea and the herring running free
And the fleet all riding gently through the foam
When the boats are loaded down they'll be singing in the town
Now you don your rubber boots and you've got your oilskins on
And you check your gear to see that it's okay
And your jumper keeps you warm for it's cold before the dawn
Then you're ready to being another day
With the pleasant rolling sea and the herring running free
And the fleet all riding gently through the foam
When the boats are loaded down they'll be singing in the town
When the boys of Killybegs come rolling home
Now they're headed out to sea and the wind is blowing free
And they cast their nets as rain begins to fall
But the sun comes riding high and the clouds will soon go by
And today they'll maybe take a bumper haul
With the pleasant rolling sea and the herring running free
And the fleet all riding gently through the foam
When the boats are loaded down they'll be singing in the town
When the boys of Killybegs come rolling home
There is purple on the hills and there's green down by the shore
And the sun has spilled its gold upon the sea
And there's silver down below where the herring fishes go
When they catch them they'll have gold for you and me
With the pleasant rolling sea and the herring running free
And the fleet all riding gently through the foam
When the boats are loaded down they'll be singing in the town
When the boys of Killybegs come rolling home
With the pleasant rolling sea and the herring running free
And the fleet all riding gently through the foam
When the boats are loaded down they'll be singing in the town
When the boys of Killybegs come rolling home
The Boys of Killybegs is a song by famous Irish folk singer Tommy Makem. The song pays homage to the hardworking fishermen of Killybegs, a coastal town in Donegal, Ireland. The first verse sets the scene of the rugged and wild hills of Donegal, and how the fishermen who brave the treacherous seas are hardy and brave. The lyrics paint a picture of the fishermen heading out to sea, ready to battle the big Atlantic swell in order to make a living. They endure the cold, damp mornings and laborious work that comes with fishing. However, through it all, they have each other and the comfort of knowing they’ll make it back home to their families, with a bountiful haul of fish.
The song is also an ode to the beauty of the sea and the natural environment of Killybegs. The second verse talks about the fishermen donning their gear, ready to brave the elements for another day of fishing. The lyrics convey the joy they feel when the herring are running free and the fleet is riding gently through the foam. The song paints an idyllic picture of the fishing town, full of camaraderie and song, as they celebrate the return of their boats while singing and sharing their catch with the town.
Overall, The Boys of Killybegs is a lovely tribute to the hardworking fishermen who risk their lives to provide for their families and communities, and to the beauty of the natural environment that sustains them.
Line by Line Meaning
There are wild and rocky hills on the coast of Donegal
Donegal's coast is dominated by fierce and rocky hills
And her fishermen are hardy, brave and free
The fishermen of Donegal are strong and fearless and love their freedom
And the big Atlantic swell is a thing they know right well
The fishermen of Donegal are familiar with the powerful waves of the Atlantic
As they fight to take a living from the sea
The fishermen of Donegal struggle to make a living by battling the sea
With the pleasant rolling sea and the herring running free
The sea is calm and the herring are abundant
And the fleet all riding gently through the foam
The fishing boats are moving steadily and easily through the waves
When the boats are loaded down they'll be singing in the town
The fishermen will celebrate loudly in the town when they have a successful catch
When the boys of Killybegs come rolling home
This is a refrain and an indication of the triumphant return of the Killybegs fishermen
Now you don your rubber boots and you've got your oilskins on
The fishermen prepare themselves with their gear to face the rough sea
And you check your gear to see that it's okay
The fishermen make sure their equipment is in good condition
And your jumper keeps you warm for it's cold before the dawn
The fishermen wear warm clothing because it is chilly before sunrise
Then you're ready to being another day
The fishermen are ready for a new day of hard work
Now they're headed out to sea and the wind is blowing free
The fishermen set sail while the wind is blowing freely
And they cast their nets as rain begins to fall
The fishermen start to fish while it's raining
But the sun comes riding high and the clouds will soon go by
The weather will improve as the day passes
And today they'll maybe take a bumper haul
The fishermen are hopeful to catch a large amount of fish today
There is purple on the hills and there's green down by the shore
The hills are covered with purple and the shore is lush and green
And the sun has spilled its gold upon the sea
The sun is shining on the sea, painting it golden
And there's silver down below where the herring fishes go
The herring are shining like silver in the water
When they catch them they'll have gold for you and me
When the fishermen catch the herring, they will have valuable fish which they can sell
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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