Liam Clancy

Who was Liam Clancy?

William "Liam" Clancy was an Irish folk singer and actor from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. He was the youngest and last surviving member of performing group The Clancy Brothers. The group were regarded as Ireland's first pop stars. They recorded 55 albums, achieving global sales of millions and appearing at a sold-out Carnegie Hall, New York and the Royal Albert Hall, London.

Liam was regarded as the group's most powerful vocalist. Bob Dylan regarded him as the greatest ballad singer ever, whilst Gay Byrne described him as one of the “most famous four Irishmen in the world”. He was a central figure during the 1960s folk revival, on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Shortly before his death in 2009 The Irish Times said Clancy "does seem a little like a figure from the Pleistocene era": upon his death the newspaper said his legacy was secured.