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 Little Beggarman
Tommy Makem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For three score or more in this little isle of green
I'm known from the Liffey down to Segue
And I'm known by the name of old Johnny Dhu
Of all the trade's that's going, sure begging is the best
For when a man is tired, he can sit down and rest
He can beg for his dinner, he has nothing else to do
Only cut around the corner with his old rig-a-doo
I slept in the barn, down at Caurabawn
A wet night came on and I slept 'till the dawn
With holes in the roof and the rain coming through
And the rats and the cats, they were playing peek-a-boo
When who did I waken but the woman of the house
With her white spotty apron and her calico blouse
She began to frighten and I said "boo
Aarah, don't be afraid mam it's only Johnny Dhu"
I met a little flaxy-haired girl one day
"Good morning little flaxy-haired girl" I did say
"Good morning little beggarman, a how do you do
With your rags and you tags and you old rig-a-doo"
I'll buy a pair of leggings, a collar and a tie
And a nice young lady I'll fetch by and by
I'll buy a pair of goggles and I'll colour them blue
And an old fashioned lady I will make her too
Over the road with my pack on my back
Over the fields with my great heavy sack
With holes in my shoes and my toes peeping through
Singing skinny-me-rink a doodle o and old Johnny Dhu
I must be going to bed for it's getting late at night
The fire's all raked and out goes the light
So now you've heard the story of my old rig-a-doo
It's good-bye and God be with you says old Johnny Dhu
“The Little Beggarman” is a traditional Irish folk song that tells the story of a beggar named Johnny Dhu. The lyrics of the song talk about the life of a beggar in Ireland, how easy it is to be a beggar as compared to other trades, and how this trade has given Johnny Dhu his identity. It is said that Johnny Dhu is known from Liffey down to Segue, which indicates that he has travelled across the country begging for his livelihood. The song talks about the experiences of Johnny Dhu, from sleeping in a barn with rats and cats to meeting a flaxy-haired girl and planning to buy himself a new outfit to impress a lady.
The song is written in a storytelling format and is a testament to the Irish culture and their way of life. The lyrics are simple and easy to understand, but they also convey a deeper meaning. It talks about the struggles of the poor in Ireland and how begging was seen as one of the easiest means of survival. Moreover, it also talks about the importance of identity and how Johnny Dhu has become known not by his real name but by the name given to him due to his profession.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a little beggarman and begging I have been
I am a man who begs for a living and that's all I have done my whole life
For three score or more in this little isle of green
For at least sixty years, I have been begging on this green island
I'm known from the Liffey down to Segue
I am well known from the Liffey to Segue
And I'm known by the name of old Johnny Dhu
And I am known by the name of Old Johnny Dhu
Of all the trade's that's going, sure begging is the best
Begging is the best trade there is, as it allows a man to rest when he is tired
For when a man is tired, he can sit down and rest
When a man is tired, he can sit down and rest
He can beg for his dinner, he has nothing else to do
He can beg for dinner, as there is nothing else for him to do
Only cut around the corner with his old rig-a-doo
He only needs to walk around the corner with his old rig-a-doo
I slept in the barn, down at Caurabawn
I slept in the barn down at Caurabawn
A wet night came on and I slept 'till the dawn
During a wet night, I slept until dawn
With holes in the roof and the rain coming through
With holes in the roof and rain coming through
And the rats and the cats, they were playing peek-a-boo
I saw rats and cats playing peek-a-boo
When who did I waken but the woman of the house
I woke up the woman of the house
With her white spotty apron and her calico blouse
She wore a white apron with spots and a calico blouse
She began to frighten and I said "boo
She got scared, but I told her, "boo"
Aarah, don't be afraid mam it's only Johnny Dhu"
"Don't be afraid mam, it's only Johnny Dhu"
I met a little flaxy-haired girl one day
One day, I met a little girl with flaxy hair
"Good morning little flaxy-haired girl" I did say
I greeted her, "Good morning little flaxy-haired girl"
"Good morning little beggarman, a how do you do
She replied, "Good morning little beggarman, how do you do
With your rags and you tags and you old rig-a-doo"
She pointed out my rags, my tags, and my old rig-a-doo
I'll buy a pair of leggings, a collar and a tie
I'll buy myself a pair of leggings, a collar, and a tie
And a nice young lady I'll fetch by and by
Then, I'll find a nice young lady
I'll buy a pair of goggles and I'll colour them blue
I'll purchase blue-colored goggles
And an old fashioned lady I will make her too
And I'll make her an old-fashioned lady
Over the road with my pack on my back
I walked over the road with my pack on my back
Over the fields with my great heavy sack
I carried my great heavy sack over the fields
With holes in my shoes and my toes peeping through
My shoes had holes and my toes were visible
Singing skinny-me-rink a doodle o and old Johnny Dhu
I sang "skinny-me-rink a doodle o" as well as "Old Johnny Dhu"
I must be going to bed for it's getting late at night
I must go to bed for the night since it is getting late
The fire's all raked and out goes the light
The fire has been fully raked and the light is out
So now you've heard the story of my old rig-a-doo
That's the story of my old rig-a-doo
It's good-bye and God be with you says old Johnny Dhu
It's time to say goodbye, and I wish you farewell, says Old Johnny Dhu
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J BAIRD, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
wrongwayup
Thank goodness for Pete Seeger and his tv show. I think some of the recordings from his show are quite unique, and if it wasn't for him, some of them might have never been recorded on video (or only like 20 years later, not like this with the artists in their prime). :)
videonut28
This is one of my all time favorite Clancy Brothers songs. It reminds me of my father. Thanks for posting.
Mr. Doogan
Tommy sings it as flowing as fast water through a clear spring creek.
Rahul Bery
I'm calling it: this is the best video on youtube. Priceless treasure.
dweml258
Classic! Even with one Clancy missing. REAL nice intro Pete! Hope you have more shows on the "Tube". The beautiful "Butcher Boy" must be from the same show...with the 4 of them.Nice jig Tommy. I miss you all...Your music is for all time.
Jessie Murkin
who the first man
Frederick Wemyss
That they could sing those tongue-twisting lyrics, whistle and clap and do it while step-dancing is proof that they loved what they did.
Joe Byrne
Best version of 'The Little Beggarman' I've ever heard.
Alex McGuigan
I remember them from the 60s. I couldn't play the guitar or sing but I did buy the sweater. God it was hot, especially indoors.
Daniel Munder
Also bought the sweater. It's been hard fending off all the women though.