DOVER, N.H., Aug. 3 Irish music great Tommy Makem, who played solo and with the Clancy Brothers and in pubs as well as Carnegie Hall, died of cancer in his New Hampshire home. He was 74.
Makem died Wednesday in Dover, N.H. He was diagnosed with lung cancer, which also claimed his wife, Mary, six years ago, The Boston Globe reported Friday.
Makem recently received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ulster.
He used his rich baritone accompanied by the banjo and tinwhistle to entertain audiences with traditional Irish tunes and stories for more than 50 years.
Makem performed with the Clancy Brothers, then solo, then with Liam Clancy, then solo again. He sang traditional tunes and songs he wrote, such as "Four Green Fields," "The Rambles of Spring" and "Gentle Annie."
Makem once estimated he knew between 500 and 1,000 songs, and perhaps as many stories.
"With him goes a lot of knowledge that even his cousins have forgotten," his son, Conor, told the Globe. "I can't tell you how many of his stories will never be told again."
In addition to Conor, Makem is survived by two other sons, a daughter and a granddaughter.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
