The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem on Ed Sullivan

The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem’s first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show March 17th, 1961 catapulted them to international fame. They performed for a remarkable sixteen minutes. The set included “Brennan on the Moor,” “Ballinderry,” “Rising of the Moon,” and “Jig Dancing.” They wore their trademark Aran sweaters, which the Clancys’ mother purchased from Babington, a store in their home town of Carrick and sent so they wouldn’t catch cold in the winters of New York.

The next time they appeared, December 16th, 1962, they sang “Whistling Gypsy Rover” and “South Australia” in honor of New York Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle, in the audience that evening, who threw for 7 touchdown passes in a game that week against the Redskins, a feat which still stands as the all-time record.

March 13, 1965; For their third appearance, they performed “Wild Colonial Boy.”

Their fourth appearance on the program March 14th, 1966 would be their last, but it was their first television performance in color.

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life’s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours.

Wishing you a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.

# For more of the group’s history, watch the fantastic documentary The Story Of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem on YouTube.