How the Aran sweater helped The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem make their break in America.
Living legends of music, the Clancy Brothers, Paddy, Tom and Liam are from Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary, and Tommy Makem originates from Keady in County Armagh.
The quartet came together to sing songs that generations of Irish people had neglected and had lain dormant for generations. By singing those songs they sang themselves into the hearts of millions of people around the world, particularly in America, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The group went their separate ways, but after a 15-year hiatus, they are performing a reunion concert taking place in the Lincoln Center, New York, on 20 May 1984.
In advance of this sold-out concert, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy appear on 'The Late Late Show' where Gay Byrne introduces them,
Our next four guests in the early 60s were undoubtedly the most famous four Irishmen in the world.
Seeing Tommy Makem remove his Aran sweater, or banín, leads Gay Byrne to ask how this trademark item of clothing came about.
The group’s manager, native New Yorker Marty Erlichman recognised their talent, but could not figure out a way to market them. His eureka moment came when he saw the four Irishmen arriving at rehearsals wearing Aran sweaters for warmth,
That’s what you’ll wear!
The turning point in the group's rise to fame came in 1961 when they were signed to play two songs on 'The Ed Sullivan Show'. However, singer Pearl Bailey did not show up, so The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem were given her slot too, ending up with an unprecedented 20 minutes of airtime.
We heard the following week the sale of Aran sweaters went up 100%.
Marty Erlichman subsequently quit managing the group to take up the full-time management of up-and-coming singer Barbra Streisand.
The Clancy Brothers are often credited with popularising Irish traditional music and songs in America and played a key role in Ireland’s traditional and folk music revival of the 1960s and 1970s. They influenced a host of other musicians including Bob Dylan, Christy Moore and Paul Brady.
This episode of ‘The Late Late Show’ was broadcast on 28 April 1984. The presenter is Gay Byrne.
