Sandbar between St. Agnes and Gugh on the Isles of Scilly off the coast of Cornwall

A shoal, sandbar (or just bar in context), sandbank or gravelbar is a somewhat linear landform within or extending into a body of water, typically composed of sand, silt or small pebbles. A spit or sandspit is a type of shoal. Shoals are characteristically long and narrow (linear) and develop where a stream or ocean current promotes deposition of granular material, resulting in localized shallowing (shoaling) of the water. Shoals can appear in the sea, in a lake, or in a river. Alternatively a bar may separate a lake from the sea, as in the case of an ayre. They are typically composed of sand, although could be of any granular matter that the moving water has access to and is capable of shifting around (for example, soil, silt, gravel, cobble, shingle, or even boulders). The grain size of the material comprising a bar is related to the size of the waves or the strength of the currents moving the material, but the availability of material to be worked by waves and currents is also important.

The term bar can apply to landform features spanning a considerable range in size, from a length of a few metres in a small stream to marine depositions stretching for hundreds of kilometres along a coastline, often called barrier islands.

In a nautical sense, a bar is a shoal, similar to a reef: a shallow formation of (usually) sand that is a navigation or grounding hazard, with a depth of water of six fathoms 6 fathoms (11 metres) or less. It therefore applies to a silt accumulation that shallows the entrance to the course of a river or creek.

Shoaling[link]

When surface waves move towards shallow water, such as a beach, they slow down, their wave height increases and the distance between waves decreases. This behaviour is called shoaling, and the waves are said to shoal. The waves may or may not build to the point where they break, depending on how large they were to begin with, and how steep the slope of the beach is. In particular, waves shoal as they pass over submerged sandbanks or reefs. This can be treacherous for boats and ships. It's good for surfers.

Shoaling can also diffract waves, so the waves change direction. For example, if waves pass over a sloping sandbank which is shallower at one end than the other, then the shoaling effect will result in the waves slowing more at the shallow end. Thus the wave fronts will refract, changing direction like light passing through a prism. Refraction also occurs as waves move towards a beach if the waves come in at an angle to the beach, or if the beach slopes more gradually at one end than the other.

Sandbars and longshore bars[link]

A sandbar off Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, August 2006.

This bar forms (sometimes seaward of a trough) where the waves are breaking, because the breaking waves set up a shoreward current with a compensating counter-current along the bottom. Also known as a trough bar. Sand carried by the offshore moving bottom current is deposited where the current reaches the wave break.^[1] Other longshore bars may lie further offshore, representing the break point of even larger waves, or the break point at low tide.

Harbour and river bars[link]

The Doom Bar sand bank extends across the River Camel estuary in Cornwall, UK

A harbour or river bar is a sedimentary deposit formed at a harbour entrance or river mouth by the deposition of sediment or the action of waves on the sea floor or adjacent beaches. A bar can form a dangerous obstacle to shipping, preventing access to the river or harbour in unfavourable weather conditions or at some states of the tide. Where beaches are suitably mobile, or the river’s suspended and/or bed loads are large enough, wave action can build up a bar to completely block a river mouth, damming the river, preventing access for boats or shipping, and causing flooding in the lower reaches of the river. This situation will persist until the bar is eroded by the sea, or the dammed river develops sufficient head to break through the bar.

Shoals as geological units[link]

Shoals in the Mississippi River at Arkansas and Mississippi.

A tidal sandbar connecting the islands of Waya and Wayasewa of the Yasawa Islands, Fiji

In addition to longshore bars discussed above that are relatively small features of a beach, the term shoal can be applied to larger geological units that form off a coastline as part of the process of coastal erosion. These include spits and baymouth bars that form across the front of embayments and rias. A tombolo is a bar that forms an isthmus between an island or offshore rock and a mainland shore.

The largest of the geological units of this kind is a barrier island, such as occur along the East Coast of the United States, along the Gulf coast, along the southern coast of Belize and many other locations worldwide.

In places of re-entrance along a coastline (such as inlets, coves, rias, and bays), sediments carried by a longshore current will fall out where the current dissipates, forming a spit. An area of water isolated behind a large bar is called a lagoon. Over time, lagoons may silt up, becoming salt marshes.

In some cases shoals may be precursors to beach expansion and dunes formation, providing a source of windblown sediment to augment such beach or dunes landforms.^[2]

Specific geology[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

The barrier island can be separated into sections for easy study.

Lower shoreface[link]

The shoreface is the part of the barrier where the ocean meets the shore of the island. The barrier island body itself separates the shoreface from the backshore and lagoon/tidal flat area. Characteristics common to the lower shoreface are fine sands with mud and possibly silt. Further out into the ocean the sediment becomes finer. The effect from the waves at this point is weak because of the depth. Bioturbation is common and many fossils can be found here.

Middle shoreface[link]

The middle shore face is located in the upper shoreface. The middle shoreface is strongly influenced by wave action because of its depth. Closer to shore the grain size will be medium size sands with shell pieces common. Since wave action is heavier, bioturbation is not likely.

Upper shoreface[link]

The upper shoreface is constantly effected by wave action. This results in development of herringbone sedimentary structures because of the constant differing flow of waves. Grain size is larger sands.

Foreshore[link]

The foreshore is the area on land between high and low tide. Like the upper shoreface, it is constantly affected by wave action. Cross bedding and lamination are present and coarser sands are present because of the high energy present by the crashing of the waves. The sand is also very well sorted.

Backshore[link]

The backshore is always above the highest water level point. The berm is also found here which marks the boundary between the foreshore and backshore. Wind is the important factor here, not water. During strong storms high waves and wind can deliver and erode sediment from the backshore.

Dunes[link]

The dunes are located at the top of the backshore. The dunes are typical of a barrier island. The high sand dunes are only affected by wind because of their height. Similarly, strong storms are the only thing that really affect the size of the dunes. The dunes will display characteristics of typical eolian wind blown dunes. The difference here is that dunes on a barrier island typically contain vegetation roots and marine bioturbation. .

Lagoon and tidal flats[link]

The lagoon and tidal flat area is located behind the dune and backshore area. Here the water is still and this allows for fine silts, sands, and mud to settle out. Lagoons can become host to an anaerobic environment. This will allow high amounts of organic rich mud to form. Vegetation is also common.

Human habitation[link]

Since prehistoric times humans have chosen some shoals as a site of habitation. In some early cases the locations provided easy access to exploit marine resources.^[3] In modern times these sites are sometimes chosen for the water amenity or view, but many such locations are prone to storm damage.^[4][5]

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shoals

• Adam's Bridge
• Bank (geography)
• Barrier island
• Ocean bank (topography)
• Shingle beach
• Tidal island
• U.S. Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1982

Notes[link]

v t e Coastal geography Landforms Anchialine pool Avulsion Archipelago Atoll Ayre Barrier bar Barrier island Bay Baymouth bar Bight Brackish marsh Cape Channel Cliff Cliffed coast Cliff-top dune Coast Coastal plain Coastal waterfall Continental margin Continental shelf Coral reef Cove Dune Estuary Firth Fjard Fjord Flat coast Freshwater marsh Fundus Gat Geo Graded shoreline Gulf Headland Inlet Intertidal wetland Island Islet Isthmus Lagoon Marine terrace Mouth bar Raised shorelines Machair Mega delta Mudflat Natural arch Peninsula Reef Regressive delta Ria River delta Rocky shore Salt marsh Shore Sound Stack Steep coast Strait Strand plain Submarine canyon Tied island Tidal island Tidal marsh Tide pool Tombolo More... Beaches Beach cusps Beach evolution Beach ridge Beachrock Modern recession of beaches Pocket beach Raised beach Storm beach Shingle beach Processes Blowhole Coastal erosion Concordant coastline Current Cuspate foreland Discordant coastline Emergent coastline Feeder bluff Fetch Headlands and bays Large scale coastal behaviour Longshore drift Marine regression Marine transgression Rip current Sea cave Sea foam Shoal Spit Submergent coastline Surf break Surf zone Surge channel Swash Volcanic arc Wave-cut platform Wave shoaling Wind wave Wrack zone Management Coastal management Accretion Integrated coastal zone management Submersion Related Bulkhead line Coastline length Intertidal zone Littoral zone Particle size boulder shingle pebble sand silt clay Physical oceanography Region of freshwater influence Scree More...

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2011)

This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (May 2011)

Luke Kelly
A portrait of Luke Kelly
Background information
Born	(1940-11-17)17 November 1940
Origin	Sheriff Street, Dublin, Ireland
Died	30 January 1984( 1984-01-30) (aged 43)
Genres	Folk music of Ireland
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Vocals, banjo
Years active	1962–1984
Associated acts	The Dubliners

Luke Kelly (Irish: Lúc Ó Ceallaigh; 17 November 1940 - 30 January 1984) was an Irish singer and folk musician from Dublin, Ireland, notable as a founding member of the band The Dubliners.

Early life[link]

Luke Kelly was born into a working class family in Lattimore Cottages, 1 Sheriff Street, a quarter of a mile from Dublin's main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street. His grandmother, who was a McDonald from Scotland, lived with the family until her death in 1953. His father worked all his life in Jacob's biscuit factory and enjoyed playing football. Both Luke and his brother Paddy played club Gaelic football and soccer as children.^[1]

He attended the Laurence O'Toole School as a child, and achieved very good grades in most subjects. In 1953 the Dublin Corporation moved the family to Larkhill near Whitehall when their flat was destroyed in a fire, but he continued to attend O'Toole's by taking a bus there every day. Luke left school at thirteen and after four years of odd-jobbing, he went to England in 1958. Working at steel fixing with his brother Paddy on a building site in Wolverhampton, he was sacked after asking for more money. He worked odd jobs from oil barrel cleaning to vacuum salesman.

Musical beginnings[link]

The first folk club he came across was in The Bridge Hotel, Newcastle upon Tyne in early 1960^[2]. Having already acquired the use of a banjo, he started memorising songs. In Leeds he brought his banjo to sessions in McReady's pub. The folk revival was under way in England: at the centre of it was Ewan MacColl who scripted a radio programme called Ballads and Blues. The skiffle craze had also injected a certain energy into folk singing.

Luke started busking. On a trip home he went to a fleadh cheoil in Miltown Malbay on the advice of Johnny Moynihan. He listened to recordings of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. As he sought out the musician in himself, he also developed his political convictions which, as Ronnie Drew pointed out after his death, he stuck to throughout his life. As Ronnie also pointed out, he learned to sing with perfect diction.

He befriended Sean Mulready in Birmingham, Luke lived in his home for a period, a teacher who was run out of his job in Dublin over his communist beliefs, he also had strong music links. A sister, Kathleen Moynihan was a founder member of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. He was related by marriage to Festy Conlon, the Co. Galway whistle player. His wife's brother, Ned Stapleton, taught Luke "The Rocky Road to Dublin".

Luke bought his first banjo, which had five strings and long neck(like the one of Pete Seeger and Tommy Makem), started a lifelong habit of consummate reading and even took up golf - on one of Birmingham's municipal courses. He got involved in the Jug O'Punch folk club run by Ian Campbell. He befriended Dominic Behan and they performed in folk clubs and Irish pubs from London to Glasgow. In London pubs like The Favourite he would hear street singer Margaret Barry and musicians in exile like Roger Sherlock, Seamus Ennis, Bobby Casey and Mairtín Byrnes.

Luke Kelly was by now active in the Connolly Association, a left-wing grouping strongest among the exiles in England. His political development was significant. It gave edge and conviction to his performance and lent weight to The Dubliners' repertoire at a time when the youth in Ireland were breaking away from Civil War politics. He was also to start frequenting Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger's Singer Club in London.

The Dubliners[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

In 1961 there was a ballad boom in waiting in Ireland. The Abbey Tavern sessions in Howth were the forerunner to sessions in the Hollybrook, Clontarf, the International Bar and the Grafton Cinema. Luke Kelly returned to Dublin in 1962. O'Donoghue's Pub was already established as a session house and soon Luke was singing with, among others, Ronnie Drew and Barney McKenna. Other early people playing at O'Donoghues included The Fureys, father and sons; John Keenan and Sean Og McKenna; Johnny Moynihan and Mairtin Byrnes.

A concert John Molloy organized in the Hibernian Hotel led to his Ballad Tour of Ireland with the Ronnie Drew Ballad Group. (Billed in one town as the Ronnie Drew Ballet Group). The success trail led to the Abbey Tavern and the Royal Marine Hotel and then to jam-packed sessions in the Embankment, Tallaght. Ciaran Bourke joined the group, followed later by John Sheahan. They renamed themselves The Dubliners at Luke's suggestion, as he was reading James Joyce's book of short stories, entitled Dubliners, at the time.

In 1964 Luke Kelly left the group for nearly two years and was replaced by Bobby Lynch and John Sheahan. Luke went with Deirdre O'Connell, founder of the Focus Theatre, whom he was to marry the following year, he went back to London and became involved in Ewan MacColl's "gathering". The Critics, as it was called, was formed to explore folk traditions and help young singers. Luke Kelly greatly admired MacColl and saw his time with The Critics as an apprenticeship. "It functioned as a kind of self-help group to develop each other's potential," said Peggy Seeger. In 1965, he sung 'The Rocky Road to Dublin' with Liam Clancy in his first, self-titled solo album.

Bobby Lynch left The Dubliners, while John didn't. Luke rejoined, and he started singing with Ronnie, Barney, Ciaran and John. They recorded an album in the Gate Theatre, Dublin, played the Cambridge Folk Festival and recorded Irish Night Out, a live album with, among other, exiles Margaret Barry, Michael Gorman and Jimmy Powers. They also played a concert in the National Stadium in Dublin with, to Luke's delight, Pete Seeger as special guest. They were on the road to success: Top Twenty hits with "Seven Drunken Nights" and "The Black Velvet Band", the Ed Sullivan Show in 1968 and a tour of New Zealand and Australia. The ballad boom in Ireland was becoming increasingly commercialized with publicans building even larger venues for pay-in performances. Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger on a visit to Dublin expressed concern to Luke about his drinking.

Christy Moore became a friend after they met in 1967. During his Planxty days he got to know Luke particularly well. "Mind you at that time I think his best singing days were over. I think Luke ran out of steam in The Dubliners as a singer. I've heard tapes of him singing as a younger man and he was wonderful" Luke took to the stage, surprising many with his performance as King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1972 The Dubliners themselves performed in Richard's Cork Leg, based on the "incomplete works" of Brendan Behan.

The arrival of a new manager for The Dubliners, Derry composer Phil Coulter, resulted in a collaboration that produced two of Luke's most notable performances: “The Town I Loved So Well”, "Hand me Down my Bible", and “Scorn Not His Simplicity”, a song about Phil's son who was diagnosed with Down's Syndrome. Luke had such respect for the song that he only performed it once for a television recording and rarely, if ever, sang it at the Dubliners' often boisterous concerts.

His interpretations of “On Raglan Road” and “Scorn Not His Simplicity” were significant musical achievements and became points of reference in Irish folk music. His version of “Raglan Road” came about when the poem's author, Patrick Kavanagh, heard him singing in a pub in Dublin city then called the Bailey, and approached him to say that he should sing the poem (which is set to the tune of “The Dawning of the Day”). Kelly remained a politically engaged musician, and many of the songs he recorded dealt with social issues, the arms race and war, workers' rights and Irish nationalism, ("The Springhill Disaster", "Joe Hill", "The Button Pusher", "Alabama 1958" and "God Save Ireland" all being examples of his concerns). In the socially and politically conservative atmosphere in Ireland at the time, this was notable.

Personal life[link]

Luke Kelly married Deirdre O'Connell in 1965, but they separated in the early 1970s. Luke spent the last eight years of his life living with his partner Madeleine Seiler, who was from Germany. An in-depth view of Kelly's life and work, written and directed by Michael Feeney Callan, called Luke Kelly: The Performer, was released on DVD in November 2005. In the film, which includes extensive archive footage, members of the Dubliners and contemporary artists like Donovan and Ralph McTell spoke to Callan about their experiences of Luke.

Final years[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

On 30 June 1980 during a concert in the Cork Opera House Luke Kelly collapsed on the stage. He had already suffered for some time from headaches and forgetfulness, which however had been ascribed to his alcohol consumption. A brain tumour was diagnosed. Although Kelly toured with the Dubliners after enduring an operation, his health deteriorated further. He forgot lyrics and had to take longer breaks in concerts as he felt weak. On his European tour in autumn 1983 he came off the stage in Traun, Austria and again in Mannheim, Germany. Shortly after he had to cancel the tour of southern Germany and after a short stay in hospital in Heidelberg he was flown back to Dublin. After another operation he spent Christmas with his family but was taken into hospital again in the New Year, where he died on 30 January 1984. His gravestone in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, bears the inscription: Luke Kelly - Dubliner . Sean Cannon took his place. He had been performing with the Dubliners since 1982, due to the collapse of Luke's health.

Legacy[link]

Luke Kelly remains an Irish icon and his music is widely regarded as one of Ireland's cultural treasures. Kelly's music was pan-celtic . The influence of his Scottish grandmother was paramount in Kelly's help in preserving important traditional Scottish songs such as 'Mormond Braes', 'Peggy Gordon', Robert Burns' 'Parcel of Rogues', 'Tibbie Dunbar', Hamish Henderson's 'Freedom Come All Ye', and Thurso Berwick's 'Scottish Breakaway'

The Ballybough Bridge in the north inner city of Dublin has been renamed the "Luke Kelly Bridge" and in November 2004, the Dublin city council voted unanimously to erect a bronze statue of Luke Kelly.^[3] However, the Dublin Docklands Authority has since stated that it can no longer afford to fund the statue. Councillor Christy Burke of Dublin City Council has appealed to members of the music community including Bono, Phil Coulter and Enya to help build it.^[4]

Paddy Reilly has recorded a tribute to Kelly^[5] entitled The Dublin Minstrel This features on his Gold And Silver Years, Celtic Collections and the Essential Paddy Reilly CD's. The Dubliners recorded it on their Live At Vicar Street DVD/CD. The song was composed by Declan O'Donoghue, the Racing Correspondent of The Irish Sun.^[6]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Luke Kelly: a Memoir, Des Geraghty, ISBN 1-85594-090-6
• Ar Bhruacha na Life, Des Geraghty, - 23-5-07 135585 www.tg4.ie - En sub.wmv (Déanann Des Geraghty, fear amhrán agus feadóige, ceiliúradh ar an lucht ceoil i mBaile Átha Cliath).

External links[link]

• Biography at "Ramblinghouse"
• 'Ahern lends support to Kelly memorial' 31 December 2004
• http://uk.youtube.com/kellyoneill
• http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-501647685464276780
• Luke Kelly at Find a Grave

Liam Clancy
Liam Clancy (right) with singer Odetta in 2006.
Background information
Birth name	William Clancy
Born	(1935-09-02)2 September 1935
Origin	Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, Ireland
Died	4 December 2009(2009-12-04) (aged 74) Cork, Ireland
Genres	Folk, traditional Irish
Occupations	Musician, actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, concertina
Years active	1955–2009
Associated acts	The Clancy Brothers, Makem and Clancy
Website	http://www.liamclancy.com/

William "Liam" Clancy (2 September 1935 – 4 December 2009) (Irish Liam Mac Fhlannchadha) 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.^[1] They recorded 55 albums, achieving global sales of millions and appearing at a sold-out Carnegie Hall, New York and the Royal Albert Hall, London.^[2][3]

Liam was regarded as the group's most powerful vocalist.^[4] Bob Dylan regarded him as the greatest ballad singer ever,^[1][3][5][6] whilst Gay Byrne described him as one of the “most famous four Irishmen in the world”.^[2] He was a central figure during the 1960s folk revival,^[3] on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.^[7] Shortly before his death in 2009 The Irish Times said Clancy "does seem a little like a figure from the Pleistocene era":^[8] upon his death the newspaper said his legacy was secured.^[7]

Biography[link]

As a child he was known as William or Willie.^[9] He displayed an artistic disposition at an early age, while growing up in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. Born there he was in 1935 as one of eleven children of Robert Joseph Clancy and Joanna McGrath.^[2] The first song he learned was "The Croppy Boy".^[4] He received a Christian Brothers education before taking a job as an insurance man in Dublin.^[2] Whilst there he also took night classes at the National College of Art and Design.^[2]

However, while still in his teens, Liam explored writing and painting, though he was particularly drawn to the theatre. In his early performing days, he began to call himself Liam rather than William or Willie. Before he was twenty years old, Liam had founded the local dramatic society now called "Brewery Lane Theatre and Arts Centre", and had produced, directed, set-directed, and starred in John Millington Synge's The Playboy of the Western World. Liam also performed at the renowned Gaiety Theatre in Dublin.^[10] He encountered Diane Hamilton Guggenheim when she came to his hometown to visit his mother, and set off on a tour of Ireland alongside her.^[2][3] During her 1955 trip to Keady, Clancy encountered Tommy Makem for the first time.^[2] He would later pursue Guggenheim to the United States.^[3] He referred to Greenwich Village as "the island for people escaped from repressed backgrounds".^[7]

Clancy began singing with his brothers at fund-raising events for the Cherry Lane Theatre and the Guthrie benefits. The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, began recording on Paddy Clancy's Tradition label in the late 1950s. Liam Clancy played guitar in addition to singing and also recorded several solo albums. They recorded their seminal The Rising of the Moon album in 1959, giving live performances in the American cities of Boston, Chicago and New York.^[2] A record-breaking sixteen minute long performance^[9] on American TV's The Ed Sullivan Show on 17 March 1961 launched the group into stardom.^[2][3] They were supposed to only play two songs but the main act cancelled at short notice.^[11] There were international tours, which included performances at Carnegie Hall (a sell-out in 1962)^[11] and the Royal Albert Hall.^[3] Their trademark attire was Aran geansaí—these were sent across the water by Mrs Clancy for her boys to wear against the unforgiving American climate.^[3] The quartet recorded numerous albums for Columbia Records and enjoyed great success during the 1960s folk revival. Liam was a close friend of Bob Dylan when they both were going out with two sisters in New York. He performed live for United States President John F. Kennedy.^[12] Liam Clancy was the last surviving member of the original Clancy Brothers; Tom Clancy died on November 7, 1990, Patrick Clancy died on November 11, 1998 and Tommy Makem died on August 1, 2007. Liam said of his status as last known survivor,

“There was always a pecking order, especially when you’re working with family. But they all died off, and I got to the top of the pecking order, with nobody looking over my shoulder. There’s a great sense of freedom about that”.^[2]

After The Clancy Brothers split, Liam had a solo career in Canada.^[3] He made several television performances both in CBC's National television variety show, The Irish Rovers Show from Vancouver and in Calgary, Alberta.^[2] He had a hit with "The Dutchman" and presented his own television show in Calgary, also appearing on the CBC concert series Summer Evening in 1976.^[13] In 1975, he was booked to play a festival in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, where Tommy Makem was also playing.^[2] The two played a set together and formed Makem and Clancy, performing in numerous concerts and recording several albums as a duo, until 1988.^[2] The whole ensemble also got back together in the 1980s for a reunion tour.^[2][3] After the death of Tom Clancy in 1990, Liam came together with Paddy and Bobby Clancy and nephew Robbie O'Connell.^[2] He also performed alongside his Fayreweather Band and the Phil Coulter Orchestra.^[2]

In later life, Liam maintained a solo career accompanied by musicians Paul Grant and Kevin Evans, whilst also engaging in other pursuits. He lived in County Waterford at this stage.^[3] He had a recording studio in Ring, County Waterford.^[2]

In 2001, Liam Clancy published a memoir titled The Mountain of the Women. He also was in No Direction Home, the 2005 Bob Dylan documentary directed by Martin Scorsese.^[2]

In 2006, Clancy was profiled in a two-hour documentary titled The Legend of Liam Clancy, produced by Anna Rodgers and John Murray with Crossing the Line Films, and screened on the Irish channel RTÉ. In February 2007, this documentary won the award for best series at the Irish Film and Television Awards in Dublin. In 2008 Liam performed in a filmed concert titled Liam Clancy and Friends, Live at The Bitter End which featured the last filmed performance of his friend Odetta, as well as songs from Tom Paxton, Shane MacGowan, Gemma Hayes, Eric Bibb, and Fionn Regan as well as members of Danú.

The same director Alan Gilsenan went on to direct a full length biography of Liam Clancy, The Yellow Bittern: The Life and Times of Liam Clancy.^[5] This was released at the 2009 Dublin Film Festival and went on to have a theatrical and DVD release in Ireland the UK. The film includes appearances by Pete Seeger, Jean Ritchie, Bob Dylan, Odetta, and many others^[12] as well as much unseen archive such as The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem at Newport Festival. The Irish Times praised the film and director Gilsenan who it said had "tracked down an impressive number of secondary sources, and his use of other performers’ music is often inspired".^[8]

His final album The Wheels of Life was released in 2009: this included duets with Mary Black and Gemma Hayes as well as songs by Tom Paxton and Donovan.^[2]

Liam was an ardent proponent of political views and often outspoken on matters of social injustice right up until his death.^[14] He criticised both Gulf Wars and the grim, harsh economic climate which gripped Ireland during his last months alive.^[4] He told The Irish Times in September 2009 that he was on his “last legs”.^[15] He had already given his final performance, at the National Concert Hall the previous May, during which he recited the Dylan Thomas poem "And death shall have no dominion".^[15] He was unable to perform a full-length show on the final night of a two-night sold-out run but put in a 40-minute appearance nonetheless.^[16] His manager described it as “a very profound moment. He expressed his fear of dying, but he did it with great dignity”.^[15]

Death[link]

Liam Clancy died from pulmonary fibrosis on 4 December 2009, in Bon Secours Hospital in Cork, Ireland. Bobby Clancy died of the same disease seven years previously^[5] and is buried in the new cemetery in Ring, Co. Waterford, where he spent the last number of years of his life, owning a successful recording studio. Clancy was survived by his wife, Kim, and their four children, Eben, Siobhán, Fiona and Donal, as well three previous children Sean, Andrew and Anya.^[3][5] His son Eben was in the process of coming over from the United Kingdom and he had had a chat with his son Donal who was in the middle of a tour of California.^[16] The other three sat beside him as he died.^[3] Liam had intended to give another interview at the time but succumbed to the disease before this was possible.^[16]

The leader of Fine Gael, Enda Kenny, mourned the loss of a "brilliant musician".^[5] Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen said, "Liam Clancy was a nationally and internationally renowned folk singer and was an example of an absolutely dedicated artistic craftsman. This generous and life-giving person enriched all of our lives with memorable songs and was part of the fabric of Ireland’s proud traditional music culture".^[17] Alan Gilsenan described the death as the "end of an era".^[5]

The American city of Boston was said to be in shock at the news as his influence there is "inescapable".^[18] Radio disc jockeys in New York paid tribute to the man who, according to the New York Daily News, "played a major role in defining how Americans heard Irish popular music over the last half century", with one DJ saying The Clancy Brothers had "broke down a wall that was long overdue".^[19] Christy Moore, on a prescheduled appearance on The Late Late Show aired live on the night of Liam's death, said, "I would have been listening to Radio Luxembourg and rock 'n' roll as a young fellow and then I got to hear of the Clancy brothers, when I was 16 I came to Dublin to hear them in a concert. It was about 1962, I think it was the Olympia, it was the most exciting concert I had ever attended. It was Irish, it was rock 'n' roll, it was funky and it was even sexy".^[20][21]

Clancy's lunchtime funeral at St Mary's Church in Dungarvan on 7 December was attended by hundreds of mourners, including both the Aides de Camp of the Taoiseach and President of Ireland, Minister Cullen and various musicians and artists.^[22] He was later buried in Ring.^[22]

Discography[link]

Solo recordings[link]

• 1965 – Liam Clancy – Vanguard LP/CD

*re-released with bonus tracks as 'Irish Troubadour' on Vanguard CD

• 1974 – Farewell to Tarwaithie – Plainsong LP

*on Shanachie CD as "The Dutchman"

• 2007 - Yes Those Were The Days: The Essential Liam Clancy Dolphin Records
• 2008 - “The Wheels of Life”, Dolphin Records
• Kerrygold Cheddar Cheese – special edition 45rpm – unknown year

Guest recordings[link]

• 1955 – The Lark in the Morning – Tradition LP/Rykodisc CD
• 1956 – The Countess Cathleen – Tradition LP
• 1989 – Phil Coulter: Words and Music – Shanachie CD
• 1992 – Phil Coulter: A Touch of Tranquility – Shanachie CD
• 1994 – Joanie Madden: Whistle on the Wind – Green Linnet CD
• 1999 – Cherish the Ladies: At Home – RCA CD
• 2000 – The Boys Won't Leave the Girls Alone – Windham Hill CD
• 2002 – Danú: All Things Considered – Shanachie CD

Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem[link]

Tradition Records

• The Lark in the Morning – Tradition LP/Rykodisc CD – (1955)
• The Rising of the Moon (or Irish Songs of Rebellion) (1956, 1959 second version)
• Come Fill Your Glass with Us (or Irish Songs of Drinking and Blackguarding) (1959)
• The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem (self-titled) – (1961)

Columbia Records

• A Spontaneous Performance Recording (1961)
• Hearty and Hellish! A Live Nightclub Performance (1962)
• The Boys Won't Leave the Girls Alone (1962) – 2 stereo issues (one includes alternate mixes)

*the last two albums were issued on now out of print Shanachie CDs

• In Person at Carnegie Hall (1963) – also on Columbia CD
• The First Hurrah! (1964)
• Recorded LIVE in Ireland (1965)
• Isn't It Grand, Boys (1966)
• Freedom's Sons (1966)
• In Concert (1967) – also on Columbia CD
• The Irish Uprising (1967)
• Home, Boys, Home (1968)
• Sing of the Sea (1968)
• The Bold Fenian Men (1969)
• Reunion (1984) – Released on Blackbird LP/Shanachie CD
• Luck Of The Irish – Columbia/Sony compilation. Contains 1 new song (Wars Of Germany) and 3 new performances of previously released songs: (Home Boys Home, The Old Orange Flute and They're Moving Father's Grave To Build A Sewer) (1992)
• Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (1992)
• Irish Drinking Songs (1993) – contains unreleased material from the Carnegie Hall album
• Ain't it Grand: A Collection of Unissued Gems (1995) – unreleased material from the 1960s era

The Clancy Brothers (Liam, Tom, Pat, Bobby)[link]

• Christmas – Columbia LP/CD (1969)
• Flowers in the Valley – Columbia LP (1970)

Audio Fidelity Records

• Welcome to Our House (1970)

Lou Killen, Paddy, Liam, Tom Clancy[link]

Audio Fidelity Records

• Show Me The Way (1972)
• Save the Land! (1972)
• Live on St. Patrick's Day (1973)

Vanguard Records

• Clancy Brothers Greatest Hits (1973) – Vanguard LP/CD

*This was reissued as 'Best of the Vanguard Years' with bonus material from the 1982 Live! album with Bobby Clancy and Robbie O'Connell.

Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem[link]

Blackbird and Shanachie Records

• Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy (1976)
• The Makem & Clancy Concert (1977)
• Two for the Early Dew (1978)
• The Makem and Clancy Collection (1980) – contains previously released material and singles
• Live At The National Concert Hall (1983)
• We've Come A Long Way (1986)

Bob Dylan[link]

• The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (Pat, Liam & Bobby Clancy sing "When The Ship Comes In" with Tommy Makem and Robbie O'Connell)

The Clancy Brothers (Tom, Pat, Bobby) and Robbie O'Connell[link]

• Mini CD (3 inch disc)

The Clancy Brothers (Liam, Pat, Bobby) and Robbie O'Connell[link]

• Older But No Wiser – Vanguard (1995)

Clancy, Evans, and Doherty[link]

• 1996 – Shine on Brighter – Popular CD

Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy[link]

Helvic Records

• Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy – (1997)
• The Wild And Wasteful Ocean – (1998)

Filmography[link]

• 1984 – The Story of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem – Shanchie
• 1984 – Reunion Concert: Belfast – Shanachie
• circa 1985 – Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest (1965) – Central Sun / Shanachie (reissue)
• 1997 – Farewell to Ireland – Pinnacle Vision
• 2007 – Yes...Those Were the Days: Liam Clancy – Live at the Olympia, Dublin – unknown distributor

*originally released in 1992 as "In Close Up: Volumes 1 and 2"

• 2007 – The Best of 'Hootenanny' – Shout!
• 2009 – The Yellow Bittern: The life and times of Liam Clancyhttp://www.liamclancymovie.com/

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Liam Clancy at the Internet Movie Database
• Liam Clancy on Tubridy Tonight (22 March 2008)
• Obituary at The Irish Times
• Obituary in The Daily Telegraph
• Obituary
• Sineád Crowley, RTÉ Arts & Media Correspondent, looks back at the life and career of folk legend Liam Clancy (Video)
• Troubadour who didn't do justice to his talent- Saturday, December 12, 2009, The Irish Times
• Clancy Brother's Festival
• The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
• The Yellow Bittern - The life and times of Liam Clancy (Documentary)