[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 128 (Saturday, August 4, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1768]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MR. TOMMY MAKEM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSEPH CROWLEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 3, 2007

  Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to observe the passing of a 
friend and a man for whom I held a tremendous amount of respect, Tommy 
Makem.
  Tommy was an internationally celebrated folk musician, actor, artist, 
poet, songwriter, and storyteller from Ireland who took pride in 
sharing the Irish culture with those around the globe. He immigrated to 
the United States in 1955 seeking work as an actor and settled in 
Dover, New Hampshire. After a brief period as an actor, Tommy Makem 
went on to join a band of Irish decent, The Clancy Brothers, where he 
rose to international fame.
  Tommy broke out on his own following his time with The Clancy 
Brothers and educated generations on the history, traditions, and 
customs of Ireland through his music, art, and poetry. He wrote 
hundreds of songs including, ``Four Green Fields,'' ``Gentle Annie,'' 
and ``The Rambles of Spring,'' which have been played in Carnegie Hall, 
Madison Square Garden, Royal Albert Hall and across the United States, 
Canada, and Australia.
  Tommy Makem's illustrious career has awarded him an honorary 
doctorate from the University of New Hampshire, gold and platinum 
albums, and a host of other awards such as the Gold Medal of the Eire 
Society in Boston, the Genesis Award from Stonehill College in 
Massachusetts, an Emmy nomination for a New Hampshire public television 
series, as well as the first Lifetime Achievement Award in the Irish 
Voice/Aer Lingus Community Awards and a listing as one of the top 100 
Irish Americans in the Irish American Magazine five years in a row. The 
World Folk Music Association awarded him its Lifetime Achievement Award 
in 1999.
  His enduring memory and music will live on, as will the power and 
energy of his unyielding spirit. He remains a true inspiration to me 
and million of others around the world.




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