Recorded Live in Ireland

Recorded Live In Ireland is a 1965 album of Irish folk songs performed by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. It was the first live album to be recorded in stereo in Ireland.^[1] It was their sixth LP for Columbia Records and, unusually for the group, included two newly composed songs in the folk style. Music critic Joe Goldberg wrote the liner notes.

Music on the album

The album contained the first recording of "Lament for Brendan Behan," a recently composed tribute to the late Irish author, Brendan Behan, whom the Clancys had personally known. Tommy Makem wrote "The Curlew's Song" for the album. Two more songs, "Butcher Boy" and "Beggar Man" (a.k.a. "The Little Beggarman"), Makem learned from his mother, Sarah, a source singer for folk song collectors. The sound fades briefly at the end of "Beggar Man" when Makem danced a jig onstage as the audience cheered.^[2] The group learned "Wild Rover" from Luke Kelly of The Dubliners, with whom they were friends. They sang the number "Wella Wallia" (a.k.a. "Weile Waile" and "The River Saile") for laughs, using fake Dublin accents to the delight of the audience. As was standard in their concerts, Tom Clancy recited the opening line's of James Joyce's novel, Finnegans Wake before the group sang "New Finnegan's Wake."

Reception

Billboard chose the album as a "Special Merit Pick." The magazine's reviewer called the album "a happy package, packed with lots of folk zing." The reviewer also noted how the group had "an exuberant audience for their exuberant style" during the live concert.^[3]

Other versions

A special mono version (XLP-78272-1A/XLP-78273-1A) of the album released only in Canada in 1965 contains some spoken material that is not included on the U.S. and British releases. On this mono LP, Paddy Clancy introduces the song, "The Rocks of Bawn"; on the standard version there is no spoken introduction before the number. The dialogue before "Maid of Fife" is also longer, and Tom Clancy makes a comment after "New Finnegan's Wake" before the concert's intermission. This version also switches the order of the songs, "Wild Rover" and "Nightingale."

The American version of the LP was released in the United Kingdom by CBS Records in both stereo and mono versions. It was also released in Australia in EP format.^[2]

Track listing

All songs are traditional, except where noted.

Credits

• Paddy Clancy: vocals, harmonica
• Tom Clancy: vocals
• Liam Clancy: vocals, guitar
• Tommy Makem: vocals, banjo, tin whistle^[2]

References