Royal Canal An Chanáil Ríoga
Royal Canal from D'Arcy's bridge, Co. Westmeath
Construction began	1790
Date completed	1817
Date restored	2010
Start point	Cloondara
End point	Spencer Dock, Dublin
Connects to	River Shannon
Length	90 miles (140 km)
Status	Open
Navigation authority	Waterways Ireland

The Royal Canal as it enters the Dublin city centre

Royal Canal in rural County Westmeath north of Kinnegad

The Royal Canal (Irish: An Chanáil Ríoga) is a canal originally built for freight and passenger transportation from the River Liffey at Dublin to the River Shannon at Cloondara in County Longford in Ireland. It fell into disrepair, but has since been restored for navigation. The full length of the canal was re-opened on 1 October 2010.

History[link]

Work commenced in 1790 and lasted 27 years before finally reaching the Shannon in 1817, at a total cost of £1,421,954 [1]. The canal passes through Maynooth, Kilcock, Enfield, Mullingar and Ballymahon has a spur to Longford. The total length of the main navigation is 145 kilometres (90 mi), and the system has 46 locks. There is one main feeder (from Lough Owel), which enters the canal at Mullingar.

At the Dublin end, the canal reaches the Liffey through a wide sequence of dock and locks at Spencer Dock, with a final sea lock to manage access to the river and sea.

Quaternion plaque on Brougham (Broom) Bridge, Dublin

Ferns' Lock

In 1843, while walking with his wife along the Royal Canal, Sir William Rowan Hamilton realised the formula for quaternions and carved his initial thoughts into a stone on the Brougham Bridge over the canal.

Transport links[link]

The canal is notable in that the Dublin - Mullingar railway line was built alongside the canal for much of the distance. The meandering route of the canal resulted in many speed-limiting curves on the railway. The canal was bought by the Midland Great Western Railway to provide a route to the West of Ireland, the original plan being to close the canal and build the railway along its bed.

The canal travels across one of the major junctions on the M50/N3 in a specially constructed aqueduct.

Present day[link]

By the 1970s, the canal was falling into total disrepair and became a dumping ground for old cars and rubbish. Proposals that the inner Dublin part of the canal be converted to a motorway^[1] led to the local community forming an action group to encourage the Dublin City Council to clean and maintain the canal.

Today Waterways Ireland is responsible for the canal. The full canal between the Liffey in Dublin and the Shannon in Co. Longford reopened on 2 October 2010.^[2] Access points currently exist near Leixlip and at Maynooth, Enfield, Thomastown, Mullingar, Ballinea Bridge and Ballynacargy.

In 2006 a commemoration marker was erected at Piper's Boreen, Mullingar, to mark the 200 years since the canal reached Mullingar in 1806.

Royal Canal Way[link]

The Royal Canal Way is a 79-kilometre (49-mile) long-distance trail that follows the towpath of the canal from Ashtown, Dublin to Abbeyshrule, County Longford.^[3] It is typically completed in three days.^[3] It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Waterways Ireland.^[3] The Royal Canal Way connects with the Westmeath Way west of Mullingar.^[4]

The Auld Triangle[link]

The Royal Canal was immortalised in verse by Brendan Behan's brother in The Auld Triangle. A monument featuring Behan sitting on a bench was erected on the canal bank at Binn's Bridge in Drumcondra in 2004.

And the auld triangle went jingle jangle,

All along the banks of the Royal Canal.

The other major canal in Ireland is the Grand Canal from Dublin's southside through the Midlands to the River Shannon.

See also[link]

• List of bridges over the Royal Canal in Greater Dublin
• Canals of Ireland
• Rivers of Ireland
• Transport in Ireland

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Royal Canal

• IWAI - Guide to the Royal Canal of Ireland
• Bond Bridge, Maynooth
• Royal Canal Amenity Group
• Royal Canal Walk

v t e Places in County Kildare County town: Naas Towns Athy Clane Kilcock Kildare Kill Leixlip Maynooth Monasterevin Naas Newbridge Prosperous Rathangan Sallins Villages and Townlands Allen Allenwood Ardclogh Ballitore Ballymore Eustace Calverstown Caragh Carbury Castledermot Coill Dubh Celbridge Derrinturn Eadestown Hawkfield Johnstown Kilberry Kilcullen Kildangan Kilmead Kilmeage Kilteel Lullymore Milltown Moone Narraghmore Nurney Robertstown Straffan Staplestown Suncroft Timolin Landforms Bog of Allen Cupidstown Hill Curragh Grand Canal Hill of Allen River Barrow River Boyne River Liffey River Rye Royal Canal Topics Geography of County Kildare List of National Monuments in County Kildare List of townlands in County Kildare Mountains and hills of County Kildare Rivers of County Kildare

v t e Long-distance trails in the Republic of Ireland National Waymarked Trails Ballyhoura Way Barrow Way Bealach na Gaeltachta, Dún na nGall Beara Way Blackwater Way Bluestack Way Burren Way Cavan Way Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Dingle Way Dublin Mountains Way East Clare Way East Munster Way Grand Canal Way Hymany Way Kerry Way Lough Derg Way Mid Clare Way Miners Way and Historical Trail Monaghan Way Multeen Way Nore Valley Way North Kerry Way Offaly Way Royal Canal Way Sheep's Head Way Slieve Bloom Way Slieve Felim Way Sligo Way South Leinster Way Suck Valley Way Táin Way Tipperary Heritage Way Western Way Westmeath Way Wicklow Way Pilgrim Paths Cosán na Naomh Lough Derg Saint Kevin's Way Greenways Great Southern Trail Great Western Greenway Other Bangor Trail Malin to Mizen

Coordinates: 53°21′N 6°14′W / 53.35°N 6.233°W / 53.35; -6.233

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)