Bobby Clancy
Encyclopedia
Bobby Clancy was born in Carrick-on-Suir
, County Tipperary
, Ireland
. He was the twin brother of Joan Clancy, and a member of the Irish folk group, the Clancy Brothers. He accompanied his songs on five-string banjo, guitar, bodhrán and harmonica.
, also his future partner as a fellow member of the Clancy Brothers even wrote a song about it, "Bobby's Britches Gone off in the Tide," recorded on O'Connell's 1982 solo album, Close to the Bone.http://www.wgbh.org/pages/pri/spirit/shows/098letter.html
Bobby left home in the late 1940s to join the RAF where he traveled all over Europe, including Greece
and Egypt
where he picked up many a folk song. Still traveling, he joined his older brothers Paddy Clancy and Tom Clancy
where they were actors in New York City. The trio would sometimes sing, informally beginning the group later known as The Clancy Brothers
.
In 1955 Bobby returned to Ireland to settle down and run his father's insurance business. While his youngest brother Liam Clancy
took his place in America and officially formed the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem with Paddy, Tom Clancy
and friend Tommy Makem
, Bobby forged his own solo career, as well as performing the other half of two duos with sister Peg Clancy and an American folk singer named Sharon Collen. Bobby and sister Peg Clancy, also known as Peg Power, recorded two albums together, Songs from Ireland in 1962 and As I Roved Out in 1964 and toured as a duo, appearing on several Irish television programs in the 1960s, such as As Zosimus Said. The other duo, Bobby Clancy and Sharon Collen, appeared on Irish television's "Ballad Session in 1965. According to several newspaper articles on Google News Archives they performed some shows in the United States. As a solo, Bobby brought his show to the small screen with his own TV series on Irish television, When Bobby Clancy Sings.
He married Moira Mooney, a school teacher in the mid-1960s. Together they had four children; three daughters, Roisin in 1965, Aoife in 1966, and Aideen in 1979, and one son, Finbarr in 1970. Aoife Clancy and Finbarr Clancy followed in their father's footsteps and now tour as Irish folk Singers. In 2007, son Finbarr became a member of the High Kings.
When Tommy Makem left in 1969, Bobby took his place and became a member of the Clancy Brothers for the first time. The four brothers, Paddy, Tom, Bobby and Liam released three studio albums, Clancy Brothers Christmas, Flowers in the Valley and Welcome to Our House. The first two albums were produced under Columbia Records
while the latter was released under Audio Fidelity Records.
Bobby's initial tenure with the Clancy Brothers was short-lived. According to fans who spoke with the group over the years, but unverified in the media, he and Liam got into an argument which resulted in Bobby quitting the group. Bobby resumed his solo work, releasing a solo album Good Times When Bobby Clancy Sings and appearing live on a compilation album from a 1974 German Folk Festival, both in 1974. Living in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts
in the early 1970s, Bobby made a surprise cameo on his brothers' Brockton, Massachusetts
TV special in 1974 where he led the brothers and current fourth member Louis Killen on "Mountain Tay."
In 1976, the Clancy Brothers disbanded for a few months. Liam Clancy
and Louis Killen left the group and remaining brothers Paddy and Tom decided to go on a hiatus. In 1977 plans went into motion to regroup and Paddy and Tom asked Bobby to join. The three brothers recruited nephew Robbie O'Connell
, a singer and songwriter who added the aforementioned "Bobby's Britches Gone off in the Tide" about Uncle Bobby.
The quartet toured part time, performing three month-long tours each year in March, August and November only in the United States. They released two albums, both live, one in 1982 and the other in 1988, Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell Live! 1982 and Tunes and Tales of Ireland respectively. During the remaining part of the year, Bobby continued running the insurance business in Carrick-on-Suir and continued performing solo in Ireland.
Youngest brother Liam Clancy rejoined Bobby, Paddy and Robbie in 1990 when brother Tom was diagnosed and later succumbed to stomach cancer in November 1990. The Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell, now Paddy, Bobby and Liam performed more frequently than they had in the 1970s and 1980s, appearing on numerous TV shows in America and Ireland, notably Live with Regis and Kathie Lee in 1991, 1993 and 1995, Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert in 1992 and RTÉ's Lifelines
in 1994. The quartet released the group's first studio album in over 20 years with Older But No Wiser in late 1995, an album title coined by Bobby's wife Moira. Soon after, Liam Clancy
and Robbie O'Connell
left the group, leaving Bobby and Paddy to continue with Bobby's son Finbarr Clancy and friend Eddie Dillon from Boston. This new lineup toured until November 1998 when Paddy died from lung cancer.
Now as a trio, the Clancys and Eddie Dillon recorded two live albums, Clancy Sing-a-Long Songs and Once in a Lifetime: An Evening of Fine Irish Music. Solo, with the help of friend Eddie Dillon, who owns a recording studio and company in Fairhaven, Massachusetts
, Ark Albums Bobby released two solo albums, The Quiet Land and Make Me a Cup in 1999 and 2000.
and by 2000 he was unable to perform on his feet. The trio had to do all their concerts sitting down. As a result of age and his worsening illness, during his final years, Bobby would become confused and forgetful onstage, often requiring son Finbarr or Eddie Dillon to cover for him or give him his cues. By March 2002, he was unable to perform and had to bow out of that tour. On September 6, 2002, Bobby Clancy died at the age of 75. He left behind a twin sister, his wife, four children, and several grandchildren. At the time of his death he was back home in Ireland, long since living at the home of his parents on William Street in Carrick-on-Suir, the home where he was born.
1964 - As We Roved Out - London Globe LP
2002 - Aoife Clancy: Silvery Moon – Appleseed CD
*Other appearances can be found on the Clancy Brothers Discography
Carrick-on-Suir
Carrick-on-Suir is a town in South Tipperary in Ireland. As the name – meaning "the rock of the Suir" – suggests, the town is situated on the River Suir. The of the town gives the population as 5,906 and shows that it has grown by 5.7% since 2002...
, County Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He was the twin brother of Joan Clancy, and a member of the Irish folk group, the Clancy Brothers. He accompanied his songs on five-string banjo, guitar, bodhrán and harmonica.
Biography
A wild child, one famous story of Bobby's childhood involves going for a swim in the River Suir. Intending to dry himself off, Bobby left his swim trunks in the sun to dry, while he laid out in the sun to dry himself. The tide came in and took Bobby's britches with it, forcing young Bobby to walk home in the buff. Word got around quick in the small Irish town and Bobby was taunted with the phrase "Bobby's britches gone off in the tide" for years afterward. His nephew, Robbie O'ConnellRobbie O'Connell
-Life:Robbie was born in Waterford and grew up in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, where his parents had a small hotel. He spent a year touring folk clubs in England before enrolling at University College Dublin where he studied Literature and Philosophy. Being a newphew of the Clancy Brothers,...
, also his future partner as a fellow member of the Clancy Brothers even wrote a song about it, "Bobby's Britches Gone off in the Tide," recorded on O'Connell's 1982 solo album, Close to the Bone.http://www.wgbh.org/pages/pri/spirit/shows/098letter.html
Bobby left home in the late 1940s to join the RAF where he traveled all over Europe, including Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
where he picked up many a folk song. Still traveling, he joined his older brothers Paddy Clancy and Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy (singer)
Tom Clancy was a member of the Irish folk singing group The Clancy Brothers. He had the strongest voice of the brothers and had previously been an actor in numerous stage productions, appearing with Orson Welles in King Lear.Like his older brother Patrick Clancy, he was born in Carrick-on-Suir,...
where they were actors in New York City. The trio would sometimes sing, informally beginning the group later known as The Clancy Brothers
The Clancy Brothers
The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music singing group, most popular in the 1960s, they were famed for their woolly Aran jumpers and are widely credited with popularizing Irish traditional music in the United States. The brothers were Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, Tom Clancy, Bobby Clancy...
.
In 1955 Bobby returned to Ireland to settle down and run his father's insurance business. While his youngest brother Liam Clancy
Liam Clancy
William "Liam" Clancy was an Irish folk singer and actor from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. He was the youngest and last surviving member of performing group The Clancy Brothers. The group were regarded as Ireland's first pop stars...
took his place in America and officially formed the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem with Paddy, Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy (singer)
Tom Clancy was a member of the Irish folk singing group The Clancy Brothers. He had the strongest voice of the brothers and had previously been an actor in numerous stage productions, appearing with Orson Welles in King Lear.Like his older brother Patrick Clancy, he was born in Carrick-on-Suir,...
and friend Tommy Makem
Tommy Makem
Thomas "Tommy" Makem 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. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo, guitar, tin whistle, and bagpipes, and sang in a distinctive baritone...
, Bobby forged his own solo career, as well as performing the other half of two duos with sister Peg Clancy and an American folk singer named Sharon Collen. Bobby and sister Peg Clancy, also known as Peg Power, recorded two albums together, Songs from Ireland in 1962 and As I Roved Out in 1964 and toured as a duo, appearing on several Irish television programs in the 1960s, such as As Zosimus Said. The other duo, Bobby Clancy and Sharon Collen, appeared on Irish television's "Ballad Session in 1965. According to several newspaper articles on Google News Archives they performed some shows in the United States. As a solo, Bobby brought his show to the small screen with his own TV series on Irish television, When Bobby Clancy Sings.
He married Moira Mooney, a school teacher in the mid-1960s. Together they had four children; three daughters, Roisin in 1965, Aoife in 1966, and Aideen in 1979, and one son, Finbarr in 1970. Aoife Clancy and Finbarr Clancy followed in their father's footsteps and now tour as Irish folk Singers. In 2007, son Finbarr became a member of the High Kings.
When Tommy Makem left in 1969, Bobby took his place and became a member of the Clancy Brothers for the first time. The four brothers, Paddy, Tom, Bobby and Liam released three studio albums, Clancy Brothers Christmas, Flowers in the Valley and Welcome to Our House. The first two albums were produced under Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
while the latter was released under Audio Fidelity Records.
Bobby's initial tenure with the Clancy Brothers was short-lived. According to fans who spoke with the group over the years, but unverified in the media, he and Liam got into an argument which resulted in Bobby quitting the group. Bobby resumed his solo work, releasing a solo album Good Times When Bobby Clancy Sings and appearing live on a compilation album from a 1974 German Folk Festival, both in 1974. Living in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts
Mattapoisett, Massachusetts
Mattapoisett is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,463 at the 2008 census.For geographic and demographic information on the village of Mattapoisett Center, please see the article Mattapoisett Center, Massachusetts....
in the early 1970s, Bobby made a surprise cameo on his brothers' Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 93,810 in the 2010 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County...
TV special in 1974 where he led the brothers and current fourth member Louis Killen on "Mountain Tay."
In 1976, the Clancy Brothers disbanded for a few months. Liam Clancy
Liam Clancy
William "Liam" Clancy was an Irish folk singer and actor from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. He was the youngest and last surviving member of performing group The Clancy Brothers. The group were regarded as Ireland's first pop stars...
and Louis Killen left the group and remaining brothers Paddy and Tom decided to go on a hiatus. In 1977 plans went into motion to regroup and Paddy and Tom asked Bobby to join. The three brothers recruited nephew Robbie O'Connell
Robbie O'Connell
-Life:Robbie was born in Waterford and grew up in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, where his parents had a small hotel. He spent a year touring folk clubs in England before enrolling at University College Dublin where he studied Literature and Philosophy. Being a newphew of the Clancy Brothers,...
, a singer and songwriter who added the aforementioned "Bobby's Britches Gone off in the Tide" about Uncle Bobby.
The quartet toured part time, performing three month-long tours each year in March, August and November only in the United States. They released two albums, both live, one in 1982 and the other in 1988, Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell Live! 1982 and Tunes and Tales of Ireland respectively. During the remaining part of the year, Bobby continued running the insurance business in Carrick-on-Suir and continued performing solo in Ireland.
Youngest brother Liam Clancy rejoined Bobby, Paddy and Robbie in 1990 when brother Tom was diagnosed and later succumbed to stomach cancer in November 1990. The Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell, now Paddy, Bobby and Liam performed more frequently than they had in the 1970s and 1980s, appearing on numerous TV shows in America and Ireland, notably Live with Regis and Kathie Lee in 1991, 1993 and 1995, Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert in 1992 and RTÉ's Lifelines
Lifelines
Lifelines is the seventh album released in 2002 by the Norwegian band A-ha. This album entered to top 10 album charts in 9 countries and 4 of those in top, selling over 1.5 million copies....
in 1994. The quartet released the group's first studio album in over 20 years with Older But No Wiser in late 1995, an album title coined by Bobby's wife Moira. Soon after, Liam Clancy
Liam Clancy
William "Liam" Clancy was an Irish folk singer and actor from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. He was the youngest and last surviving member of performing group The Clancy Brothers. The group were regarded as Ireland's first pop stars...
and Robbie O'Connell
Robbie O'Connell
-Life:Robbie was born in Waterford and grew up in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, where his parents had a small hotel. He spent a year touring folk clubs in England before enrolling at University College Dublin where he studied Literature and Philosophy. Being a newphew of the Clancy Brothers,...
left the group, leaving Bobby and Paddy to continue with Bobby's son Finbarr Clancy and friend Eddie Dillon from Boston. This new lineup toured until November 1998 when Paddy died from lung cancer.
Now as a trio, the Clancys and Eddie Dillon recorded two live albums, Clancy Sing-a-Long Songs and Once in a Lifetime: An Evening of Fine Irish Music. Solo, with the help of friend Eddie Dillon, who owns a recording studio and company in Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Fairhaven is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located on the south coast of Massachusetts where the Acushnet River flows into Buzzards Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean...
, Ark Albums Bobby released two solo albums, The Quiet Land and Make Me a Cup in 1999 and 2000.
Illness
In 1999 Bobby had been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosisPulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis is the formation or development of excess fibrous connective tissue in the lungs. It is also described as "scarring of the lung".-Symptoms:Symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis are mainly:...
and by 2000 he was unable to perform on his feet. The trio had to do all their concerts sitting down. As a result of age and his worsening illness, during his final years, Bobby would become confused and forgetful onstage, often requiring son Finbarr or Eddie Dillon to cover for him or give him his cues. By March 2002, he was unable to perform and had to bow out of that tour. On September 6, 2002, Bobby Clancy died at the age of 75. He left behind a twin sister, his wife, four children, and several grandchildren. At the time of his death he was back home in Ireland, long since living at the home of his parents on William Street in Carrick-on-Suir, the home where he was born.
Solo Discography/Guest Appearances
- 1962 – So Early in the Morning - Tradition LP/Rykodisc CD
- 1963 – Peg & Bobby Clancy: Songs From Ireland - Tradition LP/Collectables CD
1964 - As We Roved Out - London Globe LP
- 1974 – Irish Folk Festival - Intercord LP/CD
- 1974 – Good Times When Bobby Clancy Sings – Talbot LP
- 1999 – The Quiet Land – ARK CD
- 1999 – Clancy Sing Along Songs – ARK CD
- 1999 – Cherish the Ladies: At Home – RCA Victor CD
- 2000 - Cherish the Ladies: The Girls Won’t Leave the Boys Alone – Windham Hill CD
- 2000 – Make Me a Cup - ARK CD
- 2001 – Once in a Lifetime: An Evening of Fine Irish Music – ARK CD (out of print)
2002 - Aoife Clancy: Silvery Moon – Appleseed CD
*Other appearances can be found on the Clancy Brothers Discography