Campaign underway to name park after Tipperary music legends - the Clancy Brothers

A campaign is underway to honour the world famous Clancy Brothers folk group by naming a public park in their hometown of Carrick-on-Suir after the four brothers.

A motion calling for Carrick’s historic Town Park to be renamed Clancy Park was unanimously passed at Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District’s monthly meeting at Carrick Town Hall last Thursday.

In the wake of the huge endorsement of Cathaoirleach Cllr Kieran Bourke’s proposal at the Municipal District meeting, an application will be submitted to Tipperary County Council’s Civic Memorial Group next week, formally requesting the park be renamed in honour of the ballad group.

The Clancy Brothers are widely credited with popularising Irish traditional music and songs in the United States and played a key role in Ireland’s trad and folk music revival of the 1960s and ‘70s.

They are best known for their performances with Tommy Makem, recording almost two dozen albums together .

The ballad group, noted for their trademark uniform of Aran jumpers, significantly influenced and inspired the young Bob Dylan and other famous artists, including Christy Moore and Paul Brady.

Carrick-on-Suir already honours the musical legacy of Paddy, Tom, Bobby and Liam Clancy through the annual Clancy Brothers Music & Arts Festival while the Nano Nagle Community Centre building in Carrick-on-Suir is called Clancy House.

A large mural of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem is painted on the gable wall of The Tannery Pub in Sean Kelly Square while a memorial plaque is erected on the house where the Clancy Brothers grew up on William Street.

However, no council owned amenity or building is yet named after the group.

In tabling the motion at last Thursday’s Carrick MD meeting, Cllr Bourke argued that the Clancy Brothers were Ireland’s U2 of the 1960s.

He said he wanted to see a substantial part of Carrick-on-Suir named after them to commemorate their fame and, in particular, he wanted the Town Park called after the brothers.

The Fianna Fáil councillor from Carrick-on-Suir pointed out that the Clancy Brothers have a close association with the park as their father was appointed its caretaker by Lord Bessborough and lived in a cottage in the park.

Fellow Carrick-on-Suir Cllr David Dunne of Sinn Féin seconded the motion and described it as an “excellent” proposal.

He pointed to the influence the Clancy Brothers had on iconic music artists like Bob Dylan.

While there was Clancy House and a memorial plaque on a wall on William Street where the Clancy Brothers grew up, he believed naming Town Park after them was a fitting tribute to the group.

Cllr Mark Fitzgerald from Cloneen agreed it would be a fitting tribute to the Clancy Brother’s contribution to Irish music.

“They were fabulous musicians and singers who defined an era of music,” he said and added that a lot of musicians were still playing and singing their songs.

Responding to the motion, Carrick Municipal District’s Director of Services Brian Beck explained that the council has a Civic Memorial Policy that deals with these types of proposals.

There was quite a clear structure and system to go through before the proposal would come back to the municipal district for final approval.

He explained that an application form would have to be filled out and submitted to the council’s Cultural Team.

The local authority’s Civic Memorials Group would then consider the application. Cllr Bourke undertook to fill out the form and submit the proposal to the council for its approval.

Pictured below is the mural of the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem on the gable wall of The Tannery Pub at Sean Kelly Square in Carrick-on-Suir. Picture Anne Marie Magorrian