Liam Clancy RIP

Not long before we went to Manchester, Ireland lost a literary and musical genius as Liam Clancy, the last remaining member of the famous family, passed away. Not only had Clancy one of the sweetest voices in contemporary folk music (described by Bob Dylan as the greatest folk singer of all time) but he was also a marvellous orator and he mingled these skills to tremendous effect on stage.

Shortly after his passing, the last case was heard in the Green Street Law Courts in Dublin (the lawyers can correct me with the precise details) - this was the scene of many historical cases in our chequered history and was the location of Robert Emmet's speech from the dock on the eve of his execution.

The following clip brings these two events together - Liam Clancy delivering extracts from the famous speech in 1965.

This second clip has unfortunately been cut short but nevertheless clearly illustrates Liam Clancy's brilliance as a balladeer - the words and music poignantly deliver as clear a message of love as you will ever hear.