Singer-musician Liam Clancy, 74, dies.

[CBHagman]

The last of the original Clancy Brothers has died.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/music-obituaries/6744601/Liam-Clancy.html

Clancy acted on Broadway alongside Dirk Bogarde, Walter Matthau and Robert Redford, but in the evenings joined his brothers and Tommy Makem drinking and singing at the White Horse Tavern in Greenwich Village. Within months they recorded their first album, The Rising of the Moon (1956), a collection of rebel songs.

Next came Come Fill Your Glass With Us (1958), still one of the most refreshing collections of Irish drinking songs. As bookings poured in from theatres and night clubs, they did their best to retain the atmosphere of the Irish bar-room with its intimacy, its raucousness and its craic.

The Ed Sullivan Show made household names of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. They were booked to appear in March 1961, performing just two songs, but the headline act dropped out and they ended with an unprecedented 16 minutes; on the strength of their performance Columbia Records offered them a lucrative five-year contract.

The Guardian obit:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8842178

To the end, family and friends noted how Liam Clancy kept his irreverent sense of humor.

"For a guy who's dying, I'm not doing too bad," he remarked three months ago.

At his last public performance in May, he moved a Dublin audience to tears as he struggled to complete a 40-minute set and turned to reciting poetry.

"He delivered Dylan Thomas' poem 'And Death Shall Have No Dominion.' He knew at that time he was in close contact with his impending death, and yet he was able to connect with the audience and express his fear in a way that was both dignified and beautiful," said his manager, Dave Teevan.

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. I'll drink a parting glass to Liam Clancy.

:toast:

[Maeve]

2. They were the basis of the re-birth of Irish music

And we toast their contributions with grateful hearts...Go in peace and re-join the group, Liam. :toast: