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.
Whisky You're The Devil
Tommy Makem Lyrics
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Off to Portugal and Spain
Drums are beating, banners flying
The Devil at home will come tonight
So it's go, fare thee well
With a too da loo ra loo ra doo de da
A too ra loo ra loo ra doo de da
Me rikes fall too ra laddie-o
Oh, whisky you're the devil
You're leading me astray
Over hills and mountains
And to Amerikay
You're sweetness from the Bleachner
And spunkier than tea
Oh whisky you're my darling drunk or sober
The French are fighting boldly
Men are dying hot and coldly
Give every man his flask of powder
His firelock on his shoulder
So its go, fare thee well
With a too da loo ra loo ra doo de da
A too ra loo ra loo ra doo de da
Me rikes fall too ra laddie-o
There's whisky in the jar
Oh, whisky you're the devil
You're leading me astray
Over hills and mountains
And to Amerikay
You're sweetness from the Bleachner
And spunkier than tea
Oh whisky you're my darling drunk or sober
Says the old wan do not wrong me
Don't take me daughter from me
For if you do I will torment you
When I'm dead my ghost will haunt you
So its go, fare thee well
With a too da loo ra loo ra doo de da
A too ra loo ra loo ra doo de da
Me rikes fall too ra laddie-o
There's whisky in the jar
Oh, whisky you're the devil
You're leading me astray
Over hills and mountains
And to Amerikay
You're sweetness from the Bleachner
And spunkier than tea
Oh whisky you're my darling drunk or sober
Oh, whisky you're the devil
You're leading me astray
Over hills and mountains
And to Amerikay
You're sweetness from the Bleachner
And spunkier than tea
Oh whisky you're my darling drunk or sober
The song "Whiskey You're The Devil" by Tommy Makem is a popular Irish folk song that tells the tale of soldiers heading off to war, while being distracted by the lure of whiskey. The first verse describes the soldiers leaving for Portugal and Spain for war, and how the devil will come out to play in their absence. The second verse focuses on the power that whiskey holds over the singer, leading him astray on a journey to Amerikay (America). The third verse recounts a cautionary tale from an old woman warning the singer against taking her daughter away, threatening to haunt him even after death.
The lyrics in this song are rich with Irish language and culture. The phrase “too ra loo ra loo ra doo de da” is derived from the Irish language, and is often used as a cheerful refrain in folk music. The song also mentions the “Bleachner,” which refers to a neighborhood in Dublin known for its whiskey distilleries. The idea of whiskey being the devil and leading people astray is a common theme in Irish folklore.
Interestingly, the song has been covered by many bands and musicians, from traditional Irish folk groups to heavy metal bands like Thin Lizzy and Metallica. The Pogues also recorded a version of the song, featuring vocals from Shane MacGowan.
Line by Line Meaning
Now brave boys, we're on the march
We are marching to Portugal and Spain with determination.
Off to Portugal and Spain
We are traveling to Portugal and Spain.
Drums are beating, banners flying
The mood is lively and celebratory as we march towards our destination.
The Devil at home will come tonight
We will enjoy ourselves as if the Devil himself is joining our merriment.
So it's go, fare thee well
We are leaving and saying goodbye.
With a too da loo ra loo ra doo de da
We sing a happy melody to accompany us on our journey.
A too ra loo ra loo ra doo de da
We sing a happy melody to accompany us on our journey.
Me rikes fall too ra laddie-o
We sing a cheerful tune as we go.
There's whisky in the jar
We have whiskey with us for entertainment and celebration.
Oh, whisky you're the devil
Alcohol is addictive and hard to resist.
You're leading me astray
Alcohol makes me make poor decisions and wander off my intended path.
Over hills and mountains
I have traveled far and wide with the influence of alcohol.
And to Amerikay
I have traveled all the way to America with the influence of alcohol.
You're sweetness from the Bleachner
Alcohol tastes good and makes me feel happy.
And spunkier than tea
Alcohol has more kick and excitement than tea.
Oh whisky you're my darling drunk or sober
I love alcohol whether I'm sober or drunk.
The French are fighting boldly
The French are fighting courageously.
Men are dying hot and coldly
There are casualties on both sides.
Give every man his flask of powder
Each soldier should have their gunpowder ready for battle.
His firelock on his shoulder
Each soldier should have their musket on their shoulder and ready to fight.
Says the old wan do not wrong me
An old woman is warning not to do her wrong.
Don't take me daughter from me
She is pleading not to have her daughter taken away.
For if you do I will torment you
She warns of haunting vengeance if they take her daughter away.
When I'm dead my ghost will haunt you
Even in death, she will come back to remind them of their wrongdoings.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: ANDREW DAVID RANKEN, CAIT O'RIORDAN, JAMES THIRKHILL FEARNLEY, JEREMY MAX FINER, PETER SPIDER STACEY, SHANE PATRICK LYSAGHT MACGOWAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind