Thomas "Tommy" Makem (November 4, 1932 – August 1, 2007) was an internation… Read Full Bio ↴Thomas "Tommy" Makem (November 4, 1932 – August 1, 2007) was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of The Clancy Brothers And Tommy Makem during the 1950s and 60s. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo, guitar, tin whistle, and bagpipes, and sang in a distinctive baritone. He was sometimes known as "The Bard of Armagh" (taken from a traditional song of the same name) and "The Godfather of Irish Music".

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 Rambles of Spring
Tommy Makem Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There's a piercing wintry breeze
Blowing through the budding trees
And I button up my coat to keep me warm
But the days are on the mend
And I'm on the road again
With my fiddle snuggled close beneath my arm

[Chorus]

I've a fine, felt hat
And a strong pair of brogues
I have rosin in my pocket for my bow
O my fiddle strings are new
And I've learned a tune or two
So, I'm well prepared to ramble and must go

I'm as happy as a king
When I catch a breath of spring
And the grass is turning green as winter ends
And the geese are on the wing
And the thrushes start to sing
And I'm headed down the road to see my friends

[Chorus]

I have friends in every town
As I wander up and down
Making music at the markets and the fairs
Through the donkeys and the creels
And the farmers making deals
And the yellow headed tinkers selling wares

[Chorus]

Here's a health to one and all
To the big and to the small
To the rich and poor alike and foe and friends
And when I return again
May our foes have turned to friends
And may peace and joy be with you until then

[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

The song "Rambles of Spring" by Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy is a lively and upbeat tribute to the arrival of spring, and the joy that it brings their gypsy-like lifestyle. In the verses, the singer describes the cold and wintry conditions that precede spring, but then he becomes elated when he sees the first signs of spring - green grass, geese flying, and thrushes singing. He uses music to bring him close to people in every town as he travels and works his way through markets and fairs. He is equipped with his felt hat, strong brogues, rosin in his pocket for his bow, and a fiddle that he keeps snuggled close beneath his arm. The chorus expresses his love of the traveling life and his eagerness to leave on his next adventure. The final verse ends with the singer wishing good health and joy to everyone, even his foes, as he looks forward to returning to the road.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a piercing wintry breeze
The cold wind is blowing hard and uncomfortable

Blowing through the budding trees
The wind is moving through trees that have just started to grow

And I button up my coat to keep me warm
The cold is making the singer wrap themselves warm in their coat

But the days are on the mend
The winter is ending and there will be warmer days soon

And I'm on the road again
The singer is traveling again after a long break

With my fiddle snuggled close beneath my arm
The singer has their fiddle close to them

I've a fine, felt hat
The singer has a good quality hat

And a strong pair of brogues
The singer has on sturdy shoes

I have rosin in my pocket for my bow
The singer has brought rosin to apply on their fiddle bow

O my fiddle strings are new
The singer has new fiddle strings to replace the old ones

And I've learned a tune or two
The singer has learned new music to play on their fiddle

So, I'm well prepared to ramble and must go
The singer is all set to go on their road trip

I'm as happy as a king
The singer is very happy

When I catch a breath of spring
The singer is delighted to get a whiff of spring

And the grass is turning green as winter ends
Winter is almost over and the grass is starting to grow

And the geese are on the wing
The geese are migrating

And the thrushes start to sing
The thrushes have started to sing

And I'm headed down the road to see my friends
The singer is going to see their friends

I have friends in every town
The singer has friends all over

As I wander up and down
The singer travels frequently

Making music at the markets and the fairs
The singer performs at local markets and fairs

Through the donkeys and the creels
The singer sees donkeys and baskets around

And the farmers making deals
Farmers are busy selling their produce

And the yellow-headed tinkers selling wares
Tinkers are selling their goods with yellow caps on their heads

Here's a health to one and all
The singer is wishing good health to everyone

To the big and to the small
The wish of good health is extended to people of all sizes

To the rich and poor alike and foe and friends
The wish is broadened to include rich and poor, as well as enemies and friends

And when I return again
The singer is looking forward to coming back

May our foes have turned to friends
The singer is hoping that their enemies become friends

And may peace and joy be with you until then
The singer wants everyone to be peaceful and happy until they come back

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

@ericadoss2959

2y↑1

So many great memories...hearing my maternal uncle sing this! My paternal cousin also loves Irish music and we love to sing this for fun! Keeping tradition alive!!!

@clairevernell4645

I just love the way Tommy sings; I listen to him as often as I cn on YouTube.

@SimonOak

6y↑3

That time of the year again. Lovely Spring song!

@Jestak

12y↑1

I just love hearing Tommy sing this song--I'm sure he's singing it at the great ceilidh in the sky. RIP.

@swvacollings290

13y↑3

The guitarist is Ronnie D'addario. He was with Tommy for many years during the mid 80's through the late 90's. For many years this was Tommy's "sound" at the Irish Pavillion on 57th st. Brings back the memories. Good Lord we spent a fortune there! Ronnie started off as sound man there. Tommy eventually asked him to play back up since he knew the songs and sound so well.