Tommy Makem
When news of Tommy Makem’s death came yesterday I found myself reading a lot of tributes.
I remembered watching Makem talking on Irish television about how he came to do his famous routine for The Cobbler. My memory might be dodgy but I recall he said he was having trouble getting the attention of the watching crowd so he sat on his stool on the stage and didn’t speak. He mimed.
He mimed the actions of a cobbler and gradually the venue stopped speaking as they all looked at him, and then when they were silent he sang The Cobbler.
From a Kansas City perspective you’ll know Tommy Makem’s songs even if somehow you never heard The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, or his patnership with Liam Clancy.
His songs are everwhere. Four Green Fields, which he wrote in 1967, has passed into the canon of traditional Irish songs and you’ll hear it sung around town by anybody who sings Irish ballads, particularly those who don’t think 3 is the magic number when it comes to green fields, or provinces.
The Cobbler is also known as Dick Darby, and Máirtín regularly sings it when he’s in town. You’ll probably hear The Fuchsia Band perform that one this Monday, August 6th 2007, at Cafe &. Here’s Tommy Makem in an old RTE video where he does that cobbler routine:
And even if I do prefer Luke Kelly’s interpretation, here’s a video of Makem singing his classic Farewell To Carlingford:
Makem was performing until very close to the end and you’ll see his name on Entertainment Lists of Irish festivals throughout America. Even as it became evident he would be unable to actually perform at Irish Fest in Milwaukee he was making plans to still be there anyway.
Irish Fest is going ahead with these plans and Tommy’s slots will be billed as “Remembering Tommy Makem” and will be led by his nephews Tom and Jimmy Sweeney, Brian Doherty, Kevin Evans and Eugene Byrne and other close friends. With The Makem and Spain Brothers also in Milwaukee it will be quite a special celebration of Tommy’s life and love for Irish music that so many considered him the godfather of.
Four Green Fields, with a slideshow of photos of Tommy Makem:
Of the pieces I’ve read on Tommy Makem over the last 24 hours, my favourite is probably this piece in Irish Music Magazine reprinted from its original 2000 publishing. And An Spailpín Fánach says many sensible things in this farewell.
See Also:
• The Clancy Brothers in NY’s Village: video & photos
• Clancy Brothers: The Men Behind the Sweaters
• Best Irish Male Singer: Liam Clancy or Luke Kelly?
• The Clancy Brothers sing Óró sé do bheatha ‘bhaile
Eolaí gan Fhéile:
To my shame I had forgotten The Cobbler. I don’t recall what age I was when I first seen him do it, but I know it was on RTÉ and I was watching my parents. I remember my father, a third generation cobbler, saying the performance was a bit stagey, but he’s getting it fairly right. Coming from my old man this was high praise indeed.
I read an Spailpín fairly regularly, but thanks for the notice about the tribute to Tommy Makem. I might not’ve read it as soon.
Slán.