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THE CELTIC CONNECTION • NOVEMBER 1991
The Fighting Spirit of the Bril
By JAMES McKAGUE
"And he heard it high up in the ir, a piper piping away, and never was piping so sad, and never was piping so gay"
W.B. Yeats "O'Driscoll" (The Host of the Air)
On Friday, October 26, 1990, at Mercy Hospital, Cork City, Ireland, Tom Clancy, the helmsman of the world-famous Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell, propped himself up in bed to give his farewell performance to theselectaudiencewho had come to say good-bye.
Tom's eyes brightened as his brothers and nephew entered the room; and, with all the strength he could muster, he greeted them with a chorus of "Brennan on the Moor."
Always the optimist, Tom joked and laughed and never once betrayed any fear or anxiety as he faced death. He talked about getting well and going back out on the road.
"And if I die," hequipped, "when I get to heaven, I'll be sure to start getting us bookings."
"Just be sure to book a round-trip flight," retorted his nephew Robbie O'Connell.
O'Connell was later to reflect upon the severe deterioration of Tom's physical condition. "I barely recognized him," confessed Robbie. "If he had been on an open ward withotherpatients, I think I probably would have walked right past his bed."
In the early days, Tom was likely the smallest of the group but he gained a considerable amount of weight over the years, often introducing himself to the audiences as "the biggest" or "the most" of the Clancy's. But the cancer which eventually corroded his stomach and caused the consequent removal of his organs last Spring changed all that. Tom Clancy quite literally became a shadow of his former self.
Fighting Spirit
Large or small, Tom was unquestionably the feistiestof the Clancy Brothers. His headstrong determination served as a major driving force for the group throughout its existence.
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He was affectionately referred to as "the little bull" by his brother, Liam. It was his fighting spirit which brought him through the several months of prolonged illness and it was his spunk and cheek which came forth at his final meeting with his comrades — the partners with whom he had travelled and performed throughout the world for more than 30 years.
Final Curtain.
Tom wished "the boys" luck and sent them on their November tour. The brothers left for the states, amazed by his coherence and somewhat encouraged by his levity. Inpoint of fact, Tom has given a brilliant last performance to make his death a little easier on the loved ones he was leaving behind.
Within a week, the word came that Tom had taken another turn for the worse, Pat, the eldest brother, rushed back to be by his side while the others carried on the tour as a trio
On November 7,1990, at 9:45 a.m. Irish time, Tom Clancy answered his final curtain call and embarked on his first solo tour to be reviewed by the ultimate critic.
Tom Clancy considered himself to be first and foremost an actor. Even before arriving in America in 1950, Tom has performed in several Shakespearean roles. Once in New York, Tom acted off-Broadway and appeared in every major dramatic program in the early days of live television. Tom later moved out to Hollywood, where he spent a number of years landing supporting roles both in TVandmotionpictures. Throughout his acting career, Tom worked with such notables as Siobhan McKenna, Melvyn Douglas and Robert Shaw.
But Tom Clancy will be best remembered as the robust and jovial member of the Clancy Brothers Folk Group. His husky voice, comical antics, and endearing charm contributed greatly to the group's vast success. If anything could aptly describe the persona of Tom Clancy, it would most likely be the title of one of the group's recordings, "Hearty and Hellish".
Makem recently reminisced about his former partner's wide appeal. "Tom never played an instrument," commented Makem, "but he had this showmanship quality where he'd kind of puff out his chest and strut a bit as he sang, and the audience loved it."
Tom Clancy certainly knew how to work a crowd. It was he who insisted that the group wear the heavy Aran sweaters while performing, which became the undisputed trademarkof the Clancy
Brothers. No doubt Tom's theatrical training immensely enhanced the outcome of his singing career.
As the story goes, the Clancy Brothers and their friend, Tommy Makem, never intended to be musicians — they simply started singing just for "the crack" and then eventually to earn some money while they pursued their acting careers, but their act came along just at the time of a tremendous folk revival in the 1950's and they were received with overwhelming enthusiasm by audiences in Chicago, Bostonand New York.
Taking the World
Then, in 1961, they were invited to appear on the nation's most popular television variety program, the Ed SullivanShow, where they performed for an unprecedented 19 minutes. With this appearance, the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem took the world by storm and went from Folk City to Carnegie Hall.
The group not only brought authentic Irish folk music to the world, they also re-introduced it totheirnativelreland. Theirener-getic style and wide selection of rebel, drinking and love songs sparked the emergence of numerous Irish musical groups for generations thereafter to include the popular Celtic rock groups of the 1990's.
By the early seventies, the group began to falter. Both Tommy Makem and brother Liam had left to pursue solo careers, and Tom had moved to California to act. But in the mid-1970's Tom Clancy re-organized the group with brothers Pat and Bobby and nephewRobbieO'Connell. They again booked into such places as the Town Hall in New York, and Boston Symphony Hall, and found that they were as popular as ever. Under Tom's leadership, the group continued tosuc-cessfully perform year-round in concert halls and festivals all over the world.
In 1984, the Clancy Brothers with Robbie O'Connell took time out as Pat and Tom rejoined Liam and Tommy Makem for the sold-out reunion concert of the original group at Lincoln Centre's Avery Fisher Hall and a subsequent 28-city reunion tour.
With the reunion tour behind them, Pat and Tom again took to the road with Bobby and Robbie, but as the 1980's came to a close, Tom began to show signs of the illness which eventually took his life.
He experienced stomach problems, but true to form, he decided to treat the troubles himself.
The Clancy Brotl
Bobby Clancy recalls that Tom was so stubborn, he would go from one doctor to another until he found one who told him what he wanted to hear. By 1990, Tom could no longer ignore the disease which ravaged his insides. In thespring, hewasadmitted to the hospital and major surgery was performed.
Tom's hospitalization impacted heavily upon the family. Not only were they in distress over their brother's illness, but the group had a full schedule of engagements and was without one of its members.
This dilemma prompted Liam Clancy to forego his own solo tour and reunite with the group. In July 1990, the Clancy Brothers took to the road for the final time without Tom Clancy.
Tom's presence was sorely missed by his thousands of fans. At each concert, the audience enquired about him and were shocked and saddened by the news of his illness. Although his brothers and nephew were performing without him, they continued to consult with him and include him in the planning of future projects.
Then, on November 7, 1990, the
?hone call came: At the age of 67, om Clancy, the second eldest of the Clancy Brothers, was dead.