[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 189 (Tuesday, December 11, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H15239-H15241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE OF THOMAS ``TOMMY'' MAKEM

  Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 768) honoring the life of Thomas ``Tommy'' 
Makem.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 768

       Whereas Thomas ``Tommy'' Makem was born on November 4, 1932 
     in Keady, County Armagh, in Northern Ireland;
       Whereas Thomas Makem emigrated from Ireland to Dover, New 
     Hampshire in 1955, after having won the All-Ireland 
     Championship in acting, to pursue a career in acting

[[Page H15240]]

     and carrying with him only a makeshift suitcase, a pair of 
     bagpipes, and proof of his health;
       Whereas in 1956 Thomas Makem joined the Clancy Brothers, 
     all of whom had immigrated to the United States from Ireland, 
     and began performing musically together as ``The Clancy 
     Brothers and Tommy Makem'' and were signed by Columbia 
     Records;
       Whereas in 1961 Thomas Makem performed at the Newport Folk 
     Festival and, along with Joan Baez, was named as the most 
     promising newcomer;
       Whereas in 1963 the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem 
     performed at the White House at the request of President John 
     F. Kennedy;
       Whereas the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem continued to 
     perform and record music together, performing in venues such 
     as Carnegie Hall and on programs including The Ed Sullivan 
     Show and The Tonight Show until 1969 when Thomas Makem left 
     the band amicably to pursue a solo career;
       Whereas in 1975 Thomas Makem again joined with Liam Clancy 
     and the duo performed together until 1988, including a Clancy 
     Brothers and Tommy Makem reunion at the Lincoln Center in New 
     York City, New York;
       Whereas in 1997 Thomas Makem wrote a book, Tommy Makem's 
     Secret Ireland, and in 1999 premiered his own one-man theatre 
     show, Invasions and Legacies, in New York, and established 
     the Tommy Makem International Festival of Song in South 
     Armagh, Ireland in 2000;
       Whereas throughout his performing career Thomas Makem was 
     highly regarded as an exceptional musician by both his 
     colleagues and the public and received many awards and honors 
     including the World Folk Music Association's Lifetime 
     Achievement Award in 1999 and honorary doctorates from the 
     University of New Hampshire in 1998, the University of 
     Limerick in 2001, and the University of Ulster in 2007; and
       Whereas Thomas Makem died on Wednesday, August 1, 2007 in 
     Dover, New Hampshire and will now be remembered as a 
     dedicated husband, father, and grandfather and as one of the 
     greatest Irish-Americans of the 20th Century: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors the life 
     of Thomas ``Tommy'' Makem, and his accomplishments as a 
     musician, composer and performer.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
New Hampshire (Ms. Shea-Porter) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. 
Boustany) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New Hampshire.


                             General Leave

  Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from New Hampshire?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, Tommy Makem was one of the greatest Irish-American 
performers to ever grace the stage. Not only have his works inspired 
generations of artists, but his determination and success broke down 
barriers that had long been raised to Irish Americans. Tommy and the 
Clancy Brothers, with whom he played for many years, were instrumental 
in breaking down these cultural divides.
  Tommy lived a truly remarkable life. He arrived in America in 1955 to 
pursue a career in acting, having just won the All-Ireland Championship 
in acting. Like so many immigrants before and after, Tommy arrived with 
very little, carrying with him only a makeshift suitcase, a pair of 
bagpipes and proof of his health. However, it did not take Tommy long 
to find a life in America.
  In 1956, he joined with the Clancy Brothers--Patrick, Tom, Bobby and 
Liam--and they began performing together. In 1961, Tommy performed at 
the Newport Folk Festival and, along with Joan Baez, he was heralded as 
``the most promising newcomer.'' In 1963, Tommy and the Clancy Brothers 
performed at the White House at the request of President Kennedy. They 
continued to perform together for years and played venues from Carnegie 
Hall to the Ed Sullivan Show, until Tommy embarked on a solo career in 
1969. For decades, he continued to compose and perform. He would later 
reunite with the Clancy Brothers in 1988 for a reunion concert. In 
1999, Tommy was awarded the World Folk Music Association's Lifetime 
Achievement Award.
  Tommy was not just a musician, he was so much more. Tommy was an 
author, a philanthropist, a businessman, an inspiration and, most 
importantly, he was a loving father, grandfather and husband.
  Tommy passed away earlier this year on August 1 in Dover, New 
Hampshire, where he lived for many years. He left behind a daughter, 
Katie Makem-Boucher, and two grandchildren, Molly Dickerman and Robert 
Boucher, and three sons, Shane, Conor and Rory, whom with his nephew, 
Tom Sweeney, continue the family folk music tradition. They will 
remember Tommy for the living man he was and for the impact he had on 
their lives.

                              {time}  1330

  Upon his passing, condolences streamed in from all over the country, 
as well as the world. The Makem family has said that while many talked 
about his music, most noted what a generous and kind man he was.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and 
honor the life of a truly remarkable man, an immigrant who touched the 
lives of so many.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 768, 
honoring the life of Thomas ``Tommy'' Makem. Makem was an 
internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and 
storyteller, best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy 
Makem. He played the long-necked five string banjo, guitar, tin 
whistle, border pipes, and sang in a very distinctive baritone. He was 
sometimes known as the Godfather of Irish music.
  The son of a successful Irish folk singer, Sarah Makem, Tommy Makem 
mesmerized audiences for more than four decades. He expanded and 
reshaped the boundaries of Irish culture and infused a pride and a 
quest for knowledge of Irish culture in countless others.
  In 1955, Makem's ambition to become an actor took him to New York 
where, after a brief but rewarding career in live television and off-
Broadway plays, he teamed up with the Clancy Brothers. They appeared on 
the ``Ed Sullivan Show,'' the ``Tonight Show'' and every major 
television network show in the United States. The Clancy Brothers and 
Tommy Makem played to audiences from New York's Carnegie Hall and 
London's Royal Albert Hall to every major concert venue in the English-
speaking world.
  In 1969, Tommy left the Clancy Brothers to pursue a solo career and 
immediately sold out Madison Square Garden in New York. His popularity 
soared, and he went on to three sold out concert tours in Australia, 
including Sydney's opera house.
  By 1975, Makem had rejoined Liam Clancy of the Clancy Brothers. The 
duo worked together until 1988. Their collaboration garnered the pair 
an Emmy nomination, as well as several platinum and gold records.
  Tommy Makem's music will live on forever. ``The Rambles of Spring,'' 
Farewell to Carlingford,'' ``Gentle Annie,'' ``The Winds Are Singing 
Freedom'' and, of course, ``Four Green Fields'' are all standards in 
the repertoire of folk singers around the world in the late 20th and 
early 21st centuries.
  I am very happy to join my good friend and colleague, Representative 
Shea-Porter, in honoring the life of Thomas ``Tommy'' Makem, and I ask 
my colleagues to support this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Does the gentleman from Louisiana have any further 
speakers?
  Mr. BOUSTANY. I have no other Members requesting time, and I'll be 
happy to yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Shea-Porter) that the House suspend 
the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 768.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.

[[Page H15241]]

  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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