Patrick Clancy
Encyclopedia
Patrick Clancy usually called "Paddy" or "Pat" Clancy, was an Irish folk singer best known as a member of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.
Pat Clancy was one of eleven children and the eldest of four boys born to Johanna McGrath and Bob Clancy in Carrick-on-Suir
, County Tipperary
. During World War II
he served as a flight engineer in the Royal Air Force
in India; he also reportedly had been a member of the Irish Republican Army
. After his demobilization, Clancy worked as a baker in London. In 1947 he immigrated to Toronto
, Canada
with his brother Tom
. The following year, the two brothers moved to Cleveland, Ohio
to stay with relatives. Later, they attempted to move to California
, but their car broke down and they relocated to New York City
instead.
After moving to Greenwich Village
in 1951, both Paddy and Tom Clancy devoted themselves primarily to careers in the theater. In addition to appearing in various Off-Broadway
productions and television shows, they produced and starred in plays at the Cherry Lane Theatre
in Greenwich Village and at a playhouse in Martha's Vinyard. Their productions included a 22-week run of Sean O'Casey's
The Plough and the Stars. After losing money on some unsuccessful plays, the brothers began singing concerts of folk songs after their evening acting jobs were over. They soon dubbed these concerts "Midnight Specials." Paddy and Tom were often joined by other prominent folk singers of the day, including Pete Seeger
, Woody Guthrie
, and Jean Ritchie
.
In 1956 their younger brother Liam Clancy
immigrated to New York, where he teamed up with Tommy Makem
, whom he had met while collecting folk songs in Ireland. The two began singing together at Gerde's Folk City, a club in Greenwich Village. Pat and Tom Clancy sang with them on occasion, usually in informal folk 'sing-songs' in the Village. Around the same time, Pat founded Tradition Records
with folk-song collector and heiress Diane Hamilton
, and in 1956 the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem released their first album, The Rising of the Moon
, with only Paddy's harmonica as musical accompaniment. However, the Clancys and Makem did not become a permanent singing group until 1959. In the meanwhile, Paddy signed and recorded established folk artists for Tradition, including Jean Ritchie
, Alan Lomax
, Odetta
, and Ewan McColl. He also went as a cameraman on an expedition to Venezuela in search of alluvial diamonds, ostensibly as part of a documentary crew.
In the late 1950s, Pat Clancy with his brothers and Makem began to take singing more seriously as a permanent career, and soon they recorded their second album, Come Fill Your Glass with Us
. This album proved to be more successful than their debut album, and they began receiving job offers as singers at important nightclubs, including The Gate of Horn in Chicago and The Blue Angel in New York City. The group garnered nation-wide fame in the United States after an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
, which led to a contract with Columbia Records in 1961. They continued performing together to great acclaim in the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia until Tommy Makem left the group to pursue a solo career in 1969. The group continued first with Bobby Clancy
and then with Louis Killen until Liam left in 1975 to pursue a solo career. In 1977 after a short hiatus, the group reformed with Paddy, Tom, and Bobby Clancy and their nephew Robbie O'Connell.
In a 2008 documentary, The Yellow Bittern, Liam Clancy recalled Paddy as the "alpha male" of the group, who "quietly laid down the law" that his younger brothers and Makem followed "without question." Paddy also often acted as the spokesman for the Clancy Brothers. His signature song was the classic Irish drinking song, "A Jug of Punch." He was also well-known for his renditions of "Mountain Dew," "Rosin the Bow," the humorous songs, "The Old Woman from Wexford" and "Mr. Moses Ri-Tooral-I-Ay," the Scottish song, "Johnny Lad," and several others.
After almost two decades in North America, in 1964 Pat Clancy returned to live in Carrick-on-Suir, where he bought a dairy farm and bred exotic cattle. When not on tour or working on his farm, he spent much of his time fishing, reading, and doing crossword puzzles. In the late 1990s, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The tumor was successfully removed, but he was also striken with terminal lung cancer
around the same time. He continued performing until his failing health prevented him from doing so any longer.
Patrick Clancy died at home of lung cancer on November 11, 1998 at the age of 76. He was buried, wearing his trademark white cap, in the tiny village of Faugheen, near Carrick-on-Suir. He was survived by his widow, Mary Clancy, and their four children, Rory, Maura, Orla, and Conor. He was also survived by a daughter from his first marriage, Leish Clancy (Haller), and four siblings, Liam, Bobby, Peg, and Joan.
Pat Clancy was one of eleven children and the eldest of four boys born to Johanna McGrath and Bob Clancy in Carrick-on-Suir
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...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served as a flight engineer in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
in India; he also reportedly had been a member of the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
. After his demobilization, Clancy worked as a baker in London. In 1947 he immigrated to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with his brother Tom
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,...
. The following year, the two brothers moved to Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
to stay with relatives. Later, they attempted to move to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, but their car broke down and they relocated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
instead.
After moving to Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
in 1951, both Paddy and Tom Clancy devoted themselves primarily to careers in the theater. In addition to appearing in various Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
productions and television shows, they produced and starred in plays at the Cherry Lane Theatre
Cherry Lane Theatre
The Cherry Lane Theatre , located at 38 Commerce Street in the borough of Manhattan, was New York City's oldest, continuously running off-Broadway theater...
in Greenwich Village and at a playhouse in Martha's Vinyard. Their productions included a 22-week run of Sean O'Casey's
Seán O'Casey
Seán O'Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.- Early life:...
The Plough and the Stars. After losing money on some unsuccessful plays, the brothers began singing concerts of folk songs after their evening acting jobs were over. They soon dubbed these concerts "Midnight Specials." Paddy and Tom were often joined by other prominent folk singers of the day, including Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
, Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
, and Jean Ritchie
Jean Ritchie
Jean Ritchie is an American folk singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player.- Out of Kentucky :Abigail and Balis Ritchie of Viper, Kentucky had 14 children, and Jean was the youngest...
.
In 1956 their younger 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...
immigrated to New York, where he teamed up with 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...
, whom he had met while collecting folk songs in Ireland. The two began singing together at Gerde's Folk City, a club in Greenwich Village. Pat and Tom Clancy sang with them on occasion, usually in informal folk 'sing-songs' in the Village. Around the same time, Pat founded Tradition Records
Tradition Records
Tradition Records was an American record label that existed from 1955 to 1961.The label was founded by Guggenheim heiress Diane Hamilton in 1956. Its first president and director was Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, who was soon to join his brothers and Tommy Makem, as part of the new Irish folk group, The...
with folk-song collector and heiress Diane Hamilton
Diane Hamilton
Diane Hamilton was the pseudonym of Diane Guggenheim , an American mining heiress, folksong patron and founder of "Tradition Records".-Personal life:...
, and in 1956 the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem released their first album, The Rising of the Moon
The Rising of the Moon (album)
The Rising of the Moon: Irish Songs of Rebellion is a collection of traditional Irish folk songs performed by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. It was initially recorded in 1956. During the original recording, the only instrument used was Paddy's harmonica and there was little harmonization,...
, with only Paddy's harmonica as musical accompaniment. However, the Clancys and Makem did not become a permanent singing group until 1959. In the meanwhile, Paddy signed and recorded established folk artists for Tradition, including Jean Ritchie
Jean Ritchie
Jean Ritchie is an American folk singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player.- Out of Kentucky :Abigail and Balis Ritchie of Viper, Kentucky had 14 children, and Jean was the youngest...
, Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
, Odetta
Odetta
Odetta Holmes, known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals...
, and Ewan McColl. He also went as a cameraman on an expedition to Venezuela in search of alluvial diamonds, ostensibly as part of a documentary crew.
In the late 1950s, Pat Clancy with his brothers and Makem began to take singing more seriously as a permanent career, and soon they recorded their second album, Come Fill Your Glass with Us
Come Fill Your Glass with Us
Come Fill Your Glass with Us - Irish Songs of Drinking & Blackguarding is a collection of traditional Irish drinking songs performed by The Clancy Brothers with often time collaborator Tommy Makem...
. This album proved to be more successful than their debut album, and they began receiving job offers as singers at important nightclubs, including The Gate of Horn in Chicago and The Blue Angel in New York City. The group garnered nation-wide fame in the United States after an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
, which led to a contract with Columbia Records in 1961. They continued performing together to great acclaim in the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia until Tommy Makem left the group to pursue a solo career in 1969. The group continued first with Bobby Clancy
Bobby Clancy
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...
and then with Louis Killen until Liam left in 1975 to pursue a solo career. In 1977 after a short hiatus, the group reformed with Paddy, Tom, and Bobby Clancy and their nephew Robbie O'Connell.
In a 2008 documentary, The Yellow Bittern, Liam Clancy recalled Paddy as the "alpha male" of the group, who "quietly laid down the law" that his younger brothers and Makem followed "without question." Paddy also often acted as the spokesman for the Clancy Brothers. His signature song was the classic Irish drinking song, "A Jug of Punch." He was also well-known for his renditions of "Mountain Dew," "Rosin the Bow," the humorous songs, "The Old Woman from Wexford" and "Mr. Moses Ri-Tooral-I-Ay," the Scottish song, "Johnny Lad," and several others.
After almost two decades in North America, in 1964 Pat Clancy returned to live in Carrick-on-Suir, where he bought a dairy farm and bred exotic cattle. When not on tour or working on his farm, he spent much of his time fishing, reading, and doing crossword puzzles. In the late 1990s, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The tumor was successfully removed, but he was also striken with terminal lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
around the same time. He continued performing until his failing health prevented him from doing so any longer.
Patrick Clancy died at home of lung cancer on November 11, 1998 at the age of 76. He was buried, wearing his trademark white cap, in the tiny village of Faugheen, near Carrick-on-Suir. He was survived by his widow, Mary Clancy, and their four children, Rory, Maura, Orla, and Conor. He was also survived by a daughter from his first marriage, Leish Clancy (Haller), and four siblings, Liam, Bobby, Peg, and Joan.
Solo Discography/Guest appearances
- 1959 – Folk Festival at Newport, Volume 1 – Vanguard LP
- 1961 – Folk Music of the Newport Folk Festival: 1959-1960, Volume 1 – Folkways LP/CD
- 1984 – Mick Moloney: Uncommon Bonds – Green Linnet LP/CD
- 2000 – Cherish the Ladies: The Girls Won’t Leave the Boys Alone – Windham Hill CD
- Other appearances listed in Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem articles
External links
- http://elvispelvis.com/patrickclancy.htm Obituaries of Patrick Clancy from New York Times, Irish Times and the Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
.