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 Connemara Cradle Song
Tommy Makem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Angels are coming to watch o'er thy sheep
Angels are coming to watch over thee
So list to the wind coming over the sea
[Chorus]
Hear the wind blow love, hear the wind blow
Lean your head over and hear the wind blow
Oh, winds of the night, may your fury be crossed,
May no one who's dear to our island be lost
Blow the winds gently, calm be the foam
Shine the light brightly and guide them back home
[Chorus]
The currachs are sailing way out on the blue
Laden with herring of silvery hue
Silver the herring and silver the sea
And soon there'll be silver for baby and me
[Chorus]
The currachs tomorrow will stand on the shore
And daddy goes sailing, a sailing no more
The nets will be drying, the nets heaven blessed
And safe in my arms dear, contented he'll rest
Connemara Cradle Song by Tommy Makem is a lullaby reassuring the baby from the Connemara region in western Ireland that angels are coming to watch over him/her. The lyrics begin with the image of angels arriving on the wings of the wind over the dark rolling deep sea to keep the baby safe. The mother invites the baby to listen to the wind as it brings the angels. The chorus repeats the line, “hear the wind blow love, hear the wind blow,” signifying the comfort the mother wants to give to the baby. The second verse speaks of the mother praying to the winds of the night to protect everyone from the sea’s fury and ensure that no one is lost. She wishes for the winds to blow gently, make the sea’s foam calm, shine the light brightly, and guide everyone back home. The stanza conveys the mother’s concern for her family’s safety and the safety of everyone around her.
The final verse is the mother’s anticipation of the future when her family will be fed with silver herring caught by the currachs, traditional Irish boats used for fishing. She sees a bright tomorrow where the nets will be drying, Heaven blessed, and her husband will be safe in her arms, contented that his worry of going sailing no more is taken care of. The song carries the love, comfort, and inner strength of a Connemara mother for her baby and family.
Line by Line Meaning
On the wings of the wind o'er the dark rolling deep
Angels are flying in with the wind over the dark ocean to watch over and protect the sheep.
Angels are coming to watch over thee
God’s angels are coming to protect and watch over you.
So list to the wind coming over the sea
Pay attention to the sound of the wind coming over the sea.
Hear the wind blow love, hear the wind blow
Listen to the sound of the wind, my love.
Lean your head over and hear the wind blow
Lean your head over and listen to the wind blowing.
Oh, winds of the night, may your fury be crossed,
May the winds of the night not cause harm or destruction.
May no one who's dear to our island be lost
May no one who is cherished on the island become lost or harmed.
Blow the winds gently, calm be the foam
Blow the winds gently and let the sea be calm.
Shine the light brightly and guide them back home
May the lighthouse shine its light brightly and guide the sailors back home safely.
The currachs are sailing way out on the blue
The traditional Irish boats called currachs are sailing far out to sea.
Laden with herring of silvery hue
The boats are carrying loads of silvery herring.
Silver the herring and silver the sea
The herring are silver, as is the sea that they're caught in.
And soon there'll be silver for baby and me
Soon there will be silver herring for the baby and me to eat.
The currachs tomorrow will stand on the shore
Tomorrow, the currachs will be moored on the shore.
And daddy goes sailing, a sailing no more
Daddy will stop sailing and come back to shore.
The nets will be drying, the nets heaven blessed
The nets will be drying and may God bless them.
And safe in my arms dear, contented he'll rest
Daddy will be safe and happy in my arms, resting peacefully.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J BAIRD, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind