Finbarr Clancy (born 5 March 1970) is an Irish folk singer and

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where ...

. Early in his career he performed with

The Clancy Brothers The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music group that developed initially as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular during the 1960s, they were famed for their Aran jumper sweaters and are widely credited with popu ...

. He later became a member of the group

The High Kings The High Kings is an Irish folk group formed in Dublin in 2008. The band consists of Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Darren Holden, and Paul O'Brien. As of 2020, the group had released five studio albums, four live albums, and two live DVDs, an ...

Birth and family

Finbarr Clancy was the only son born to folk musician

Bobby Clancy Robert Joseph 'Bobby' Clancy Jr (11 May 1927 – 6 September 2002) was an Irish singer and musician best known as a member of The Clancy Brothers, one of the most successful and influential Irish folk groups. He accompanied his songs on five-s ...

and Moira Mooney in

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

, Ireland. Bobby Clancy, who was touring with the Clancy Brothers at the time, announced Finbarr's birth on

David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ' ...

's television talk show. Finbarr is the nephew of the popular folk singers,

Liam Clancy Liam Clancy ( ga, Liam Mac Fhlannchadha; 2 September 1935 – 4 December 2009) was an Irish folk singer from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. He was the youngest member of the influential folk group the Clancy Brothers, regarded as Ireland's ...

Paddy Clancy Patrick Michael Clancy (7 March 1922 – 11 November 1998), usually called Paddy Clancy or Pat Clancy, was an Irish folk singer best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. In addition to singing and storytelling, Clancy playe ...

, and

Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...

, who helped to spark the Irish folk music revival of the 1960s. Like the Clancy Brothers, he grew up in

Carrick-on-Suir Carrick-on-Suir () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It lies on both banks of the River Suir. The part on the north bank of the Suir lies in the civil parish of "Carrick", in the historical barony of Iffa and Offa East. The part on the so ...

. Finbarr has sometimes performed with his sister, folk singer Aoife Clancy, and his brother-in-law, Welsh singer Ryland Teifi (the husband of his sister, Roisin). He married Gráinne Butler in 2008.

Early career

Clancy made his debut at age ten, playing the banjo and singing. In the mid-1990s, he toured the United States and Ireland with the Clancy Brothers. He sang and played 5 string banjo, electric bass and flute with the group, which consisted at the time of Bobby, Paddy, and Liam Clancy and Finbarr's cousin, singer-songwriter

Robbie O'Connell Robbie O'Connell (born 1951) is an Irish singer songwriter who performs solo, as well as with The Green Fields of America. He also appears with Dónal Clancy (cousin), Dan Milner, and fiddler Rose Clancy. O'Connell has also toured and recorded ...

. As part of this group, Finbarr appeared in the Clancy Brothers' filmed "Farewell to Ireland" performance in early 1996, which has since been released on DVD. Later in 1996, after Liam Clancy and Robbie O'Connell left the band, Clancy began touring with his father, uncle Paddy, and American musician Eddie Dillon in the final Clancy Brothers line-up. After Paddy Clancy's death in 1998, Finbarr continued to perform with his father as part of The Clancys and Eddie Dillon. He also performed on four albums with his father before Bobby Clancy's death in 2002. In the mid-2000s, Clancy performed in a group with Dillon and Mark Fitzpatrick.

The High Kings

In 2008, Clancy joined the new Irish ballad group,

, along with

Martin Furey The High Kings is an Irish folk group formed in Dublin in 2008. The band consists of Finbarr Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Darren Holden, and Paul O'Brien. As of 2020, the group had released five studio albums, four live albums, and two live DVDs, an ...

, Darren Holden, and Brian Dunphy. The group's first, self-titled album reached number two on the Billboard World Music chart. In 2013, The High Kings signed with

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

. As part of The High Kings, Clancy has performed before the presidents of the United States and the Republic of Ireland and has appeared on numerous television programs. In addition to singing, he usually plays the guitar and sometimes the banjo with the group.

Discography/Filmography

The Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell

*''Farewell to Ireland'', 1996 (DVD)

The Clancys and Eddie Dillon

*''Clancy Sing Along Songs'', 1999 *''Once in a Lifetime'', 2001

The High Kings

*''The High Kings'', 2008 *''The High Kings in Dublin'', 2008 (DVD) *''Memory Lane'', 2010 *''Live in Ireland'', 2011 *''Friends for Life'', 2013 *''Four Friends Live'', 2014 (CD & DVD) *Grace & Glory, 2016 *Decade best of the High Kings, 2017

Guest appearances

Bobby Clancy albums *''Make Me a Cup'', 1999 *''The Quiet Land'', 2000 Cherish the Ladies albums *'' At Home'', 1999 *''

The Girls Won't Leave the Boys Alone ''The Girls Won't Leave the Boys Alone'' is an album by Cherish the Ladies released in 2001 on the Windham Hill label. The title reverses the lyrics "the boys won't leave the girls alone" from the Irish song " Belle of Belfast City/I'll Tell Me ...

'', 2001

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clancy, Finbarr 1970 births Finbarr Irish banjoists Irish bass guitarists Irish flautists Irish folk singers Irish guitarists Living people Male bass guitarists Musicians from County Tipperary People from County Tipperary 21st-century Irish male singers 21st-century bass guitarists 21st-century flautists The Clancy Brothers members