In March 2006, fifty years after the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem recorded their debut album, The Rising of the Moon in March 1956, the first full-length biography on the Clancy Brothers was written and published by Conor Murray. The book, titled The Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem & Robbie O'Connell: The Men Behind the Sweaters chronicles the Clancy Brothers from the birth of Paddy Clancy in 1922 to early 2006. Simultaneously a two hour documentary on Liam Clancy was aired on Irish television, The Legend of Liam Clancy, as was a new TV concert special from Tommy Makem and his sons, the five-piece Irish folk song group The Makem & Spain Brothers.
Through 2005 to the present Liam has been joined once again by Kevin Evans of Evans and Doherty, both onstage and in the studio. Paul Grant and Kevin play nightly with Liam who continues to record, write and perform worldwide. His latest CD, "Yes, Those Were the Days," was a top selling record in late 2006. A full length feature film of his life is slated to begin filming this year culminating with a filmed concert in New York City. Liam will be appearing with Paul, Kevin, Danú and Karan Casey at the Tonder Festival in Denmark in August 2007.
In August 2007 Tommy Makem died after an extended fight with cancer, leaving Liam the only surviving member of the original group.
Liam Clancy died from pulmonary fibrosis on 4 December 2009, in Bon Secours Hospital in Cork, Ireland. Bobby Clancy died of the same disease seven years previously and is buried in the new cemetery in Ring, Co. Waterford, where he spent the last number of years of his life, owning a successful recording studio. Clancy was survived by his wife, Kim, and their four children, Eben, Siobhán, Fiona and Donal, as well three previous children Sean, Andrew and Anya. His son Eben was in the process of coming over from the United Kingdom and he had had a chat with his son Donal who was in the middle of a tour of California. The other three sat beside him as he died. Liam had intended to give another interview at the time but succumbed to the disease before this was possible.
The American city of Boston was said to be in shock at the news as his influence there is "inescapable". Radio disc jockeys in New York paid tribute to the man who, according to the New York Daily News, "played a major role in defining how Americans heard Irish popular music over the last half century", with one DJ saying The Clancy Brothers had "broke down a wall that was long overdue". Christy Moore, on a prescheduled appearance on The Late Late Show aired live on the night of Liam's death, said, "I would have been listening to Radio Luxembourg and rock 'n' roll as a young fellow and then I got to hear of the Clancy brothers, when I was 16 I came to Dublin to hear them in a concert. It was about 1962, I think it was the Olympia, it was the most exciting concert I had ever attended. It was Irish, it was rock 'n' roll, it was funky and it was even sexy".
Clancy's lunchtime funeral at St Mary's Church in Dungarvan on 7 December was attended by hundreds of mourners, including both the Aides de Camp of the Taoiseach and President of Ireland, Minister Cullen and various musicians and artists. He was later buried in Ring.
Mary Mack
Tommy Makem & Liam Clancy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My (G)father′s making me marry Mary Mac
And (Am)I'm going to marry Mary to get married and take (G)care of me
We'll (Am)all be making merry when I (G)marry Mary (Am)Mac
There′s a (Am)nice wee lass and her name′s Mary Mac
Make (G)no mistake, she's the miss I′m going to take
There's a (Am)lot of other chaps that would get up on her (G)track
Now (Am)this wee lass she has a lot of brass
She (G)has a lot of gas and her father thinks I′m class
So I'd (Am)be a silly ass to let the matter (G)pass
Her (Am)father thinks she suits me (G)fair(Am)ly
Now (Am)Mary and her Mither gain an awful lot together
In (G)fact you never see the one or the one without the other
And the (Am)fellows often wonder if it's Mary or her (G)mither
Or the (Am)both of them together that I′m (G)cour(Am)tin′
Now the (Am)wedding day's on Wednesday and everything′s arranged
Her (G)name will soon be changed to mine unless her mind be changed
And we're (Am)making the arrangements and I′m just a bit de(G)ranged
For (Am)marriage is an awful under(G)ta(Am)kin'
It′s (Am)sure to be a grand affair and grander than a fair
There's (G)going to be a coach and pair for every couple there
We'll (Am)dine upon the finest fare I′m sure to get my (G)share
If I (Am)don′t we'll all be very much mis(G)ta(Am)ken
The song “Mary Mack” by Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy is a catchy tune that tells the story of a man who has decided to marry a woman named Mary Mack. He begins by informing us that Mary’s father is making her marry him, while his own father is making him marry Mary. He sees this as a win-win situation since he needs somebody to take care of him, and he believes that Mary is the right person for the job. He imagines that they will all have a grand time when he marries Mary.
The singer goes on to praise Mary as a “nice wee lass” and the “miss” that he is going to take. He acknowledges that there are many other men who would like to be with Mary, but he believes that he is the one she wants. He describes Mary as having “a lot of brass” and as being someone who is “gas” and has a good personality. He believes that Mary’s father thinks highly of him, which makes him all the more eager to marry her.
The song gets increasingly absurd as it progresses, with the singer suggesting that Mary and her mother are joined at the hip and that people are unsure whether he is courting Mary or her mother. He also comments on the grand wedding that they have planned and how he expects to get his fair share of the finest fare. Despite the humor in the lyrics, the song is a fun and lively tune that audiences enjoy.
Line by Line Meaning
Mary Mac's father's making Mary Mac marry me
Mary Mac's father has arranged for us to get married
My father's making me marry Mary Mac
My father has arranged for me to get married to Mary Mac
And I'm going to marry Mary to get married and take care of me
I'm getting married to Mary so that I can have someone to take care of me
We'll all be making merry when I marry Mary Mac
We'll all be happy and celebrate when I get married to Mary Mac
There's a nice wee lass and her name's Mary Mac
There's a lovely girl named Mary Mac
Make no mistake, she's the miss I'm going to take
I'm going to marry her, make no mistake
There's a lot of other chaps that would get up on her track
Other men are interested in her too
But I'm thinking that they'd have to get up early.
I think they won't have a chance against me
Now this wee lass she has a lot of brass
Mary has a lot of spirit
She has a lot of gas and her father thinks I'm class
Her father thinks I'm a good match for her
So I'd be a silly ass to let the matter pass
I'd be foolish to not marry her
Her father thinks she suits me fairly
Her father thinks she's a good match for me
Now Mary and her Mither gain an awful lot together
Mary and her mother do a lot together
In fact you never see the one or the one without the other
They're always together
And the fellows often wonder if it's Mary or her mither
People wonder who's really in charge, Mary or her mother
Or the both of them together that I'm courtin'
Maybe I'm really courting both Mary and her mother
Now the wedding day's on Wednesday and everything's arranged
The wedding is planned for Wednesday
Her name will soon be changed to mine unless her mind be changed
She will take my last name unless she changes her mind
And we're making the arrangements and I'm just a bit deranged
I'm a bit crazy with all the wedding planning
For marriage is an awful undertaking
Getting married is a big deal
It's sure to be a grand affair and grander than a fair
The wedding will be amazing
There's going to be a coach and pair for every couple there
Guests will arrive in horse-drawn carriages
We'll dine upon the finest fare I'm sure to get my share
The food will be amazing and I'll have plenty to eat
If I don't we'll all be very much mistaken
If there isn't enough food, it will be a big disappointment
Writer(s): Tommy Makem
Contributed by Gavin C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Edited6
I appreciate the lyrics in the description, but they are horribly off. Here you go.
There's a little girl and her name is Mary Mack
Make no mistake, she's the girl I'm gonna track
There's a lot of other fellas that would get up on her track
But I'm thinking that they'll have to get up early
CHORUS
Mary Mack's father's makin' Mary Mack marry me
My father's makin' me marry Mary Mack
And I'm goin' to marry Mary for my Mary
to take care of me
We'll all be feeling merry when I marry Mary Mack
Well this little lass, she has a lot of class
Not alot of brass and her father thinks I'm gas
And I'd be a silly ass for to let the matter pass
(Well you didn't think I'd make it did ya?) CHORUS
Mary and her mother go an awful lot together
In fact you hardly ever see the one without the other
And the people wonder whether if its Mary or her mother
Or both of them together that I'm courting CHORUS
Now the weddin's on Wednesday and everything's arranged
Soon her name wil change to mine, unless her mind is changed
And makin' the arrangements I'm just about deranged
marriage is an awful undertaking CHORUS
It's sure to be a grand affair and grander than a fair
There's gonna be a coach and pair for every pair that's there
We'll dine upon the finest fare, I'm sure to get my share
If I don't I'll be very much mistaken CHORUS
@Sticky_Ricky
Sounds like they put on a fun show. Love this song
@williamhardway6436
It's brilliant. Tommy rocks
@napoleon6221
Been singing along to this song for years, still struggle to do it well lol
@BarryHawk
Some people were asking.....Tommy Makem is the bard of Armagh (Ulster), Liam is from further south- Tipperary (Munster) ...Both Irish accents but different sounding, Northern accents generally being stronger. ....great stuff
@bettyswollex
brings me back to my youth and before . havent heard it 20 years . still as rousing as ever. thank you very much
@randomlilith
Reminding you again 13 more years later
@milhistbuff1
Now thats a great song, Love the witty comments interspersed as well. Truly irreplacable.
@damiensebastian
Damn this is hard to sing when you're drunk but it's fun as hell... my neighbors probably hate me for it though 😂😂
@jonchaney2054
lol love this song. great way to get the day started with a smile.
@railroad9000
Love these guys!