On May 14th, 1927, my father Bobby Clancy and his twin sister Joan were born to Robert and Hannah Clancy in the small town of Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary, Ireland. He and his nine siblings were brought up in a house full of music where both his parents loved to sing and would often sing traditional ballads together. His father was an opera buff, but occasionally played the accordion. I guess his accordion playing was not all that good and he made so many ridiculous faces while playing that it was suggested he give it up and stick with the singing! I remember as a child my father telling us stories about growing up in Carrick and mimicking all the funny characters in the town. He had such a great sense of humor and would have us in stitches laughing. I’m sure that if he had decided to pursue a career in acting he would have been very successful. But my father’s first love was music and he made sure that all his children had a good balanced diet of not only Irish music but also music from different genres, especially American folk. He was a big fan of people like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and the Weavers.

My first memory of being on a stage is when I was four, my father had taught me a song called “Paper of Pins: in which we would swap verses and I remember he had the banjo on one knee and me on the other! When I was about ten or eleven, he tried to teach me the banjo but that didn’t last too long, so one day he put a guitar in my hands and I was hooked. As I got older the tow of us would head off on weekends to some old-time pub in the middle of nowhere which usually didn’t have electricity or a toilet within a two mile radius, and my father would entertain all the ten or so people who sometimes didn’t know what had hit them! While I observed, he would recite Yates and sing songs and just watching him perform for that small crowd of people was the best experience a curly haired, freckle faced fourteen-year-old novice could ask for. Everyone knew if Bobby was going to be around, they were in for a great night’s entertainment!

There’s one story in particular which for me really sums up my father. In 1992, the Clancy Brothers were invited to perform at Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden. My father arranged for myself and my sister to get backstage passes, so we had a chance to hang out with all the “big stars!” Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones and father were chatting away and getting on great. A few months later, Ron Wood called our home in Carrick and invited Dad to join the Stones in Dublin the following night. My father thanked him for the invite but said he couldn’t make it because ha had promised to sing in a session in the local pub up the road! My brother never forgave him for that one!

My dad passed away on September 6th, 2002. He was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis in 1999 and knew that his time was not long. I honestly believe that playing his banjo and singing every day prolonged his life, and I feel very lucky to have had not only a great mentor but also a man who lived life to its fullest and imparted to me a great love of music. I miss my father very much, but I’ll always have the great memories and for that I am truly grateful.

I’ll finish up with a poem that my father loved to recite at the end of a good night’s music.

The life that I have is all that I have
The life that I have is yours
The that I have, of the life that I have
Is yours and yours and yours
The sleep I shall have
The rest I shall have
For death will be but a pause
For the peace of my years
In the long green grass
Will be yours, and yours, and yours.

-- Aoife Clancy