My parents won’t want to miss this video: it shows a very hippieish-looking Tommy Makem — with sideburns! — singing The Leaving of Liverpool on a rather psychedelic stage in 1973:

I’ll Tell Me Ma:

A classic Makem story/joke, followed by The Ballad Of William Bloat:

Little Beggerman:

And for anyone who missed it in Tuesday’s post, here again is Brennan on the Moor, which I think is my favorite of the YouTube clips I’ve found so far:

That which I feared has come to pass: Tommy Makem has died. He was 74.

Here is the official Makem.com thread on the Bard’s passing. More here. I can’t even access The Mudcat, presumably because they’re overwhelmed with traffic from Makem mourners. [UPDATE: Here’s the Mudcat thread about Makem.] There are lots of tributes over on LiamClancy.com, too, including this post by Liam himself:

Good friends - I just got the word from the family that Tommy passed away at about 6.45PM in Dover NH. As you all probably know he has been ill for quite a while. His suffering at last is over.

He was a friend and partner-in-song for over fifty years. We shared a great hunk of our lives together. We were a hell of a team. Tommy was a man of high integrity, honesty, and, at the end, courage. Our paths diverged at times but our friendship never waned. He was my brother every bit as much as my blood brothers.

His death has left a void that cannot be filled. A great entertainer has left us.

All our thoughts and prayers go out now to his family - Katey, Shane, Conor, Rory, Molly and all those close to him.

But perhaps the most fitting tribute comes from a Makem.com poster, Kevin Tunstill, who quoted “The Parting Glass” in its entirety. Here’s an audio recording of that lovely, and appropriate, song:

source file

While I’m sure Makem would appreciate that send-off, I also think he’d probably enjoy something a bit more upbeat. After all, the Irish are renowned for their rowdy wakes, based on the notion that we should celebrate the life of the deceased rather than merely mourning his death — and in Makem’s case, there’s certainly a long and wonderful life to celebrate. Moreover, while Makem’s death is a sad blow to those of us left here on Earth with a sudden musical void in our hearts, I don’t doubt that he’s looking down from Heaven and getting a kick out of all the commotion that’s being made, and will continue to be made in the coming days, over his passing. To that end, and in honor of this great man, I offer the following rough transcription of Makem’s own thoughts from beyond the grave:

Heck, he’s probably singing that, or some other similarly irreverent song about death (”Finnegan’s Wake,” perhaps?) with Tom and Paddy right now. I’m sure God and the angels are enjoying the show. I bet even King Billy is tapping his feet.

I’ll have more to say about Makem’s passing in the coming hours and days. For now, all I can say is, Rest in Peace, Tommy Makem. Thanks for all the wonderful music and memories. You’ll be sorely missed.

From the lawjobs.com Career Center, an article about the insanity of large-law-firm salaries and hours.

From a security camera: