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LIAM CLANCY
liamclancy.com

Liam is the youngest and the last surviving member of the famed Clancy Brothers. He displayed an artistic disposition at an early age, while growing up in Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary. While still in his teens, Liam explored writing and painting, though he was particularly drawn to the theatre. Before he was twenty years old, Liam had founded the local dramatic society and had produced, directed, set-directed, and starred in "The Playboy of the Western World". Liam had also performed at the renowned Gaiety Theatre in Dublin.

His inclusion in ICONS this year is indeed a tribute to Liam's iconic status in traditional Irish music and song. His deep, lyrical voice, resonant with the history of the country and emblematic of an age when Irish music came into its own in popular culture. His popular resurgence recently in Ireland and throughout mainland Europe is testament to a deepening interest in an era of music that saw the likes of Tommy Makem, the Dubliners, Sweeny's Men, and Paddy Riley, thrive on singing ballads and sharing songs with enraptured audiences around the world.

In 1955,American song-collector Diane Hamilton arrived at the Clancy home while on a song-collecting tour of Ireland. Liam joined her on the trip to Keady, Co. Armagh, where they met the singer Sarah Makem and her son, Tommy. Both Liam and Tommy emigrated to America the following year, pursuing careers in acting, both on stage and television. Their duo - Makem and Clancy - was one of the most popular touring acts of the 1970s and 80s. Tommy Makem died at his home in New Hampshire in 2007.