edited
      by
      ryan
      o’conn
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tommy
      makem:
     
     
      THE
      BARD
      OF
      ARMAGH
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Tommy
      Makem
      is
      an
     
     
      extraordinary
      individual.
      The
     
     
      author
      of
      “Four
      Green
      Fields”
      began
     
     
      his
      career
      as
      a
      member
      of
      the
      Irish
     
     
      folk
      group
      “the
      Clancy
      Brothers
      and
     
     
      Tommy
      Makem,”
      one
      of
      the
      leading
     
     
      groups
      of
      the
      1960's
      folk
      scene.
      In
     
     
      1969
      he
      left
      the
      group
      for
      a
      solo
     
     
      career,
      and
      in
      1975,
      after
      being
     
     
      persuaded
      to
      do
      one
      set
      together
      at
      a
     
     
      folk
      festival,
      the
      duo
      of
      “Makem
      and
     
     
      (Liam)
      Clancy”
      was
      born.
      This
      duo
     
     
      lasted
      until
      1988
      when
      Makem
     
     
      returned
      to
      his
      solo
      career.
     
    

    
     
      What
      makes
      Makem
      such
      a
     
     
      unique
      figure
      is
      hard
      to
      pinpoint.
      It
     
     
      is
      evident
      that
      he
      still
      has
      the
      zeal
     
     
      for
      performing
      of
      a
      —
      despite
      over
     
     
      40
      years
      in
      show
      business.
      On
      stage,
     
     
      Makem
      combines
      his
      skill
      as
      a
     
     
      storyteller
      (he’s
      a
      walking
      encyclope-
     
     
      dia
      of
      Irish
      folklore),
      poet
      and
     
     
      musician
      (on
      the
      banjo,
      tin
      whistle
     
     
      and
      bodhran)
      with
      his
      wonderful
     
     
      voice.
      Leading
      his
      captivated
     
     
      audiences
      through
      a
      succession
      of
     
     
      touching
      ballads,
      Irish
      rebel
      songs,
     
     
      and
      none
      sense
      songs
      —
      occasionally
     
     
      broken
      by
      a
      lesson
      in
      Irish
      history
      or
     
     
      a
      piece
      of
      slightly
      cheesy
      humor
     
     
      (“What
      did
      the
      snail
      say
      as
      he
     
     
      hitched
      a
      ride
      on
      the
      tortoise?
     
     
      YIPPIE!”
      as
      he
      flings
      his
      head
      and
     
     
      arms
      into
      the
      air
      sends
      the
      entire
     
     
      audience
      into
      a
      fit
      of
      laughter)
      —
      he
     
     
      comes
      across
      as
      the
      perfect
      ambassador
     
    

    
     
      for
      his
      native
      Ireland.
      In
      fact,
     
     
      Makem
      is
      such
      an
      embodiment
      of
     
     
      Trish
      culture
      that
      he
      served
      as
      Prince
     
     
      Edward
      Island’s
      musical
      ambassador
     
     
      for
      the
      1990
      summer
      promotion
     
     
      “Year
      of
      the
      Irish,”
      which
      saw
      him
     
     
      perform
      a
      series
      of
      concerts
      across
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      province,
      as
      well
      as
      appear
      in
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
      year’s
      tourism
      ads.
     
     
      Recently
      I
      had
      the
      opportu-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      nity
      to
      speak
      with
      Makem
      on
      a
     
     
      variety
      of
      subjects
      ranging
      from
      his
     
     
      upcoming
      schedule
      to
      his
      thoughts
     
     
      on
      the
      Irish
      peace
      process.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ryan
      O’Connor:
      How
      busy
     
     
      are
      you
      these
      days,
      and
      how
      do
     
     
      you
      spend
      your
      free
      time?
     
     
      Tommy
      Makem:
      Ah,
      well,
      I
     
     
      don’t
      have
      very
      much
      free
     
     
      time,
      and
      to
      answer
      your
      first
     
     
      question
      I’m
      very,
      very
      busy.
     
     
      At
      the
      minute
      I’m
      working
      on,
     
     
      I’m
      doing
      a
      one
      man
      show
      that
     
     
      [ve
      written,
      in
      New
      York
      the
     
     
      last
      week
      of
      September
      [to]
      the
     
     
      last
      week
      of
      October
      at
      the
     
     
      Irish
      Repertory
      Theatre.
      It’s
     
     
      based
      on
      “The
      Book
      of
     
     
      Invasions,”
      it
      has
      to
      do
      with
     
     
      Irish
      mythology
      —
      that’s
      the
     
     
      first
      half
      of
      the
      program.
      The
     
     
      second
      half
      of
      the
      program
      I'll
     
     
      be
      doing
      poetry
      and
      songs,
      and
     
     
      I’m
      getting
      the
      music
      written
     
     
      up
      for
      that
      at
      the
      minute,
      so
     
     
      I’m
      getting
      music
     
     
      together...this
      is
      out
      of
      se-
     
     
      quence.
     
    

    
     
      The
      20"
      of
      August
      I
      go
     
     
      to
      Milwaukee
      to
      do
      the
      Irish
     
     
      festival...that’s
      the
      weekend
      of
     
     
      the
      20%,
      21*,
      22"4
      of
      August;
     
     
      that’s
      the
      biggest
      Irish
      festival,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      .
      I
      would
      say
      probably
      in
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      world...
      The
      26"
      I’m
      doing
     
     
      something
      for
      a
      local
      project
     
     
      that’s
      going
      on
      her
      in
      Dover,
     
     
      New
      Hampshire
      where
      I
      live.
     
     
      The
      27",
      I’m
      in
      Lowell,
      Mas-
     
     
      sachusetts;
      the
      28"
      I’m
      at
      the
     
     
      Newport
      (folk)
      Festival
      in
     
     
      Rhode
      Island;
      the
      29"
      I
      go
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ireland,
      and
      the
      30"
      we
      begin
     
     
      taping
      two
      one-hour
      television
     
     
      specials
      for
      public
      television
     
     
      here
      in
      the
      States...
      The
      12®
      of
     
     
      September
      I’m
      in
      Pittsburgh,
     
     
      Pennsylvania,
      and
      the
      next
      _
     
     
      week
      I
      start
      rehearsals
      for
      the
     
     
      show
      that
      I’m
      doing...there’s
      a
     
     
      bunch
      of
      stuff
      after
      that,
      so
      it’s
     
     
      fairly
      hectic
      at
      the
      minute.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      RO:
      Any
      plans
      now
      for
      a
      new
     
    
   
   
    
     
      album?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      TM:
      I
      just
      don’t
      have
      time
      to
     
     
      get
      around
      to
      it
      at
      the
      minute.
     
     
      Maybe
      sometime
      later
      on
      in
     
     
      the
      year
      sometime
      I'll
      get
      the
     
     
      chance
      to
      do
      something.
      But
      I
     
     
      have
      to
      record
      instrumental
     
     
      music
      for
      the
      television
      series...
     
    
   
   
    
     
      RO:
      Do
      you
      follow
      the
      East
     
     
      Coast
      music
      in
      Canada?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      TM:
      I
      know
      a
      number
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      people
      involved,
      a
      number
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      them.
      As
      a
      matter
      of
      fact,
     
     
      when
      I
      was
      up
      in
      Sydney
     
     
      [Nova
      Scotia]...
      was
      coming
     
    
   
   
    
     
      back
      and
      the
      Barra
      MacNeils
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      were
      recording
      a
      Christmas
     
     
      album,
      and
      I
      stopped
      off
      to
      do
     
     
      a
      Christmas
      poem
      which
      will
     
    
   
   
    
     
      probably
      be
      on
      their
      album.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      RO:
      Seeing
      as
      you've
      been
     
     
      playing
      so
      long,
      where’s
      the
     
     
      incentive
      to
      get
      up
      in
      front
      of
      a
     
     
      crowd
      come
      from?
     
    

    
     
      TM:
      It
      comes
      back
      from
      your
     
     
      audience;
      I’m
      sure
      you
     
     
      would’ve
      felt
      some
      of
      it
      in
     
     
      Glace
      Bay
      [I
      attended
      a
     
     
      Tommy
      Makem
      concert
      there
     
     
      on
      May
      16%,
      1999].
      But
      when
     
     
      you
      re
      up
      on
      stage
      and
      you're
     
     
      doing
      a
      concert,
      and
      you
      can
     
     
      feel
      that
      you’re
      moving
      people
     
     
      in
      some
      way
      —
      whether
      it’s
      to
     
     
      tears
      or
      laughter
      or
      joy
      or
     
     
      whatever
      —
      if
      you’re
      moving
     
     
      them
      and
      you
      feel
      it
      coming
     
     
      back
      to
      you
      on
      stage
      it’s
      the
     
     
      greatest
      thrill
      anyone
      can
      feel.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      RO:
      How
      do
      you
      go
      about
     
     
      learning
      new
      songs?
     
    

    
     
      TM:
      It’s
      a
      bit
      of
      everything.
     
     
      There'd
      be
      songs
      that
      I’d
      have