Sarah Makem a native of Keady

Keady

Keady is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is situated south of Armagh city and very close to the border with the Republic of Ireland. The town had a population of 2,960 people in the 2001 Census....

, County Armagh

County Armagh

-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

, was a traditional Irish singer.

She was the wife of fiddler Peter Makem, mother of musicians 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...

 and Jack Makem, and grandmother of musicians Shane Makem, Conor Makem and Rory Makem

The Makem Brothers

The Makem Brothers — Shane Makem, Conor Makem and Rory Makem — are Irish musicians who live in the United States and perform together with two other brothers. They are the three sons of "The Godfather of Irish Music" Tommy Makem, and grandsons of Irish source singer Sarah Makem.-Biography:The...

. Sarah Makem and her cousin, Annie Jane Kelly, were members of the Singing Greenes of Keady

Keady

Keady is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is situated south of Armagh city and very close to the border with the Republic of Ireland. The town had a population of 2,960 people in the 2001 Census....

.

In the 1950s, song collectors from the United States toured Ireland recording its musical heritage. Sarah Makem was visited and recorded by, among others, Diane Guggenheim Hamilton

Diane Hamilton

Diane Hamilton was the pseudonym of Diane Guggenheim , an American mining heiress, folksong patron and founder of "Tradition Records".-Personal life:...

, 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...

, Peter Kennedy and Sean O'Boyle. Her rendition of As I Roved Out opened the BBC Radio

BBC Radio

BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...

 folk music programme of the same name in the 1950s.

Songs

Note: Footnotes take you to lyrics but not necessarily to the recordings of Sarah Makem as many of the songs are traditional.

Sarah Makem collected, performed and/or composed, and handed down hundreds of songs including:

• As I Roved Out
• Barbara Allen
• Barney Mavourneen
• Blow Ye Winds
• The Butcher Boy

• Caroline and her Young Sailor Bold
• The Cobbler
• The Cot in the Corner
• Derry Gaol
• Dobbin's Flowery Vale
• The Factory Girl
• Farewell My Love, Remember Me
• I Courted a Wee Girl
• John Mitchel
• The Jolly Thresher
• Little Beggarman
• Magpie's Nest
• A Man in Love He Feels No Cold
• Mary of Kilmore
• May Morning Dew
• Month of January (The Forsaken Mother & Child)
• On the Banks of Red Roses
• Our Ship She's Ready to Bear Away
• Robert Burns and his Highland Mary
• A Servant Maid in her Father's Garden
• Willie Reilly
• The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Recordings

Sarah Makem has been recorded extensively, and is included on the following recordings:

• Ulster Ballad Singer - Sarah Makem
• Field Trip (1954) - Jean Ritchie
• The Lark in the Morning
  The Lark in the Morning (album)
  The Lark in the Morning is an album by Liam Clancy, Tommy Makem, family and friends.It has the distinction of being the first album-length recording of Irish music to be recorded in Ireland. It was recorded by Diane Hamilton and Catherine Wright on portable equipment, between August and December...
  
  - Liam Clancy and others (1956)
• Best of the Clancy Brothers (1994) - The Clancy Brothers
• Sea Songs & Shanties (1994) - Various Artists
• Traditional Songs of Ireland (1995) - Various Artists
• Ancient Celtic Roots (1996) - Various Artists
• Celtic Mouth Music (1997) - Various Artists
• Irish Voices: The Best in Traditional Singing (1997) - Various Artists
• Celtic Reflections (1998) - Various Artists
• Celtic Voices (1999) - Various Artists
• Who's That at My Bedroom Window (1999) - Various Artists
• The Voice of the People
  The Voice of the People
  The Voice of the People is an anthology of folk songs sung by Traditional singers and musicians of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.There are 511 recordings on 20 CDs, compiled by Dr Reg Hall, a historian at Sussex University...
  
  , Vol. 6: Come Let Us Buy the License (1999)- Various Artists
• The Voice of the People, Vol. 8: A Story I’m Just About to Tell (1999) - Various Artists
• The Voice of the People, Vol. 17: It Fell on a Day a Bonny Summer Day (1999) - Various Artists
• The Voice of the People: A Selection (2000) - Various Artists

External links

• Sarah Makem at SmithsonianGlobalSound.org
• Tommy Makem's Official Web Page
• Other Irish source singers may be found at Folkopedia