I first heard the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem through one of their first LP's, back in 1961. A young lady in a record shop in Tacoma, WA, was quite fond of them and had me listen. I had heard Irish music of various kinds, much of it the sentimental faux Irish "Hollywood" variety put out there by Pat O'Brien and others. The sheer energy and fun this group brought to their performances was astonishing and infectious. Before being singers, they were actors, after all.

If they were not doing much of their repetoire in the standard or historic Irish fashion - which was often much slower-paced and frequently sadder, they awakened an interest in the music of Ireland as no one had to that time. Along with the Chieftans, they came to represent The Emerald Isle to legions of people, many of whom had never heard from this treasure trove of song.

Years later I was able to learn more about these performers and, through Liam's writing, their lives before emigrating and the process that led them and others to the pinnacle of folk music in their time.
Now, all are gone. We are the sadder for it, but will always have the recorded joy they left for us. May God hold you - all of you - in the hollow of his hand.