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 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 ...

, being their nephew. For over 20 years, he has conducted small cultural tours to Ireland with Celtica Music & Tours and, for more than ten years, WGBH Learning Tours. Married with four grown children, he now spends his time between

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US as well as the historic county seat. The town is built on the traditional territories of the Pokanoket Wampanoag. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. The population of B ...

and

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

Early life

Robbie O'Connell was born in 1950 in St. John's Parish, Waterford, Ireland, to Seán and Cáit (née Clancy) O'Connell. His early years were spent on the Cork Road, Waterford. When he was 7, his family moved to his mother's home town of

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 ...

where they established a guesthouse, Mount Richard. When Cáit's brother Bobby returned from New York in the mid 1950s, he suggested that they should convert the cellar to a folk music venue where they could hold ballad and music sessions. Very soon, Mount Richard — and later, Tinvane Hotel — became a thriving venue that hosted the likes of

Seamus Ennis Seamus may refer to: * Séamus, a male first name of Gaelic origin Film and television * Seamus (''Family Guy''), a character on the television series ''Family Guy'' * Seamus, a pigeon in '' Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore'' * Seamus Mc ...

, Dolly MacMahon,

Leo Rowsome Leo Rowsome (5 April 1903 - 20 September 1970) was the third generation of an unbroken line of uilleann pipers. He was a performer, manufacturer and teacher of the uilleann pipes throughout his life. Samuel Rowsome, Leo’s grandfather sent hi ...

Jean Ritchie Jean Ruth Ritchie (December 8, 1922 – June 1, 2015) was an American folk singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player, called by some the "Mother of Folk". In her youth she learned hundreds of folk songs in the traditional way (orally ...

and others. It was in this atmosphere that Robbie and his sister Alice began to play (guitar) and sing folk and traditional music. They formed a group called The Rotary Folk with Sean Rattigan and Noel Carroll, which went on to win the Kilkenny Beer Festival in the late 1960s. During his years at University College Dublin, he traveled to the United States during the summer to perform on the Irish music circuit. In 1972, he met singer Roxanne Vigeant. They performed together as "Robbie & Roxanne" and then as "The Munster Cloak" with bassist Tony Riordan. They were married in 1974, settling in Acton, Massachusetts. They moved to Ireland in 1976 following the death of his mother in a car accident in Wexford. Robbie formed The Bread & Beer Band with friends Tommy Keane, Paul Grant and Martin Murray. Two of their four children were born during this time. The ballad sessions continued at Tinvane Hotel with frequent appearances by Dermot Morgan (Father Ted), Paddy Glackin, Colum and Tommy Sands, and piper Tommy Kearney.

Joining the Clancy Brothers

A nephew of the Clancy Brothers, O'Connell began touring with Paddy, Tom, and

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 ...

in 1977, taking the place of

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 ...

who was working with

Tommy Makem Thomas Makem (4 November 1932 – 1 August 2007) was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo ...

as a part of

Makem and Clancy Makem and Clancy was an Irish folk duo popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The group consisted of Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, who had originally achieved fame as a part of the trailblazing folk group The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem in the 1960s ...

. O'Connell sang, played guitar and, occasionally, mandolin. In 1979 he and his family moved to

Franklin, Massachusetts The Town of Franklin is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Franklin is one of thirteen Massachusetts municipalities that have applied for, and been granted, city forms of government but wish to retain "The town of" in their o ...

. Beginning in 1977, the Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell toured three months each year in March, August, and November in the United States. O'Connell, who had been a songwriter since his early teens, composed several songs that the group sang regularly, such as "Bobby's Britches," "Ferrybank Piper," and "You're Not Irish." He also included songs written by others, such as "Dear Boss" and "Sister Josephine." Reviews cited O'Connell as a fresh addition to the group and with his original compositions, the future of the group. With the release in 1982 of his first solo album, ''Close to the Bone'', O'Connell emerged as an artist of major stature. He began touring with

Mick Moloney Michael Moloney (15 November 1944 – 27 July 2022) was an Irish-born American musician and scholar. He was the artistic director of several major arts tours and co-founded Green Fields of America. Early life Moloney was born in Limerick, Ire ...

and Jimmy Keane, and also with

Eileen Ivers Eileen Ivers (born July 13, 1965) is an American fiddler. Ivers was born in New York City of Irish-born parents, grew up in the Bronx and attended St. Barnabas High School. She spent summers in Ireland and took up the fiddle at the age of ni ...

and

Séamus Egan Séamus Egan is an Irish-American musician. Early days Séamus Egan was born in Hatboro, Pennsylvania to Irish immigrants Mike and Ann Egan. At the age of three his parents moved the family back home to County Mayo, Ireland. He learned accor ...

in the

Green Fields of America The Green Fields of America is an ensemble that performs and promotes Irish traditional music in the United States. It was formed in 1977 in Philadelphia, led by musician and folklorist Mick Moloney. They perform Irish and Irish-American culture ...

.Princeton Folk Music Society
/ref> Moloney, O'Connell & Keane recorded two albums, both of which garnered critical acclaim. The first was ''There Were Roses'' released in 1985 with the title track, the song " There Were Roses", penned by

Tommy Sands Thomas Adrian Sands (born August 27, 1937) is an American pop music singer and actor. Working in show business as a child, Sands became an overnight sensation and instant teen idol when he appeared on ''Kraft Television Theater'' in January 19 ...

. Second was ''Kilkelly'' in 1987, containing the title track "Kilkelly". Both albums were released on the Green Linnet label. O'Connell continued to perform part-time with the Clancy brothers for nineteen years. In 1992 he performed at Carnegie Hall with them and also sang and played the guitar on the telecast of a live tribute to

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

at Madison Square Garden. In 1996 Liam Clancy and O'Connell left the Clancy Brothers and formed their own duo, called simply Liam Clancy and Robbie O'Connell. Before splitting, the Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell gave a farewell tour of both Ireland and America in February and March 1996. The Irish tour in February was filmed near the Clancys' hometown, televised and later released to video and DVD as '' The Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell: Farewell to Ireland''.

Career after the Clancy Brothers

Liam Clancy and Robbie O'Connell toured for a while as a duo, but very soon added Liam's son Dónal Clancy to the group, forming the trio Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy. The trio released two albums, a self-titled debut album in 1997 and an album of sea songs in 1998, ''The Wild and Wasteful Ocean''. O'Connell regards the self-titled ''Clancy, O'Connell and Clancy'' album as one of his favourite works. In 1999, with Liam in Ireland, O'Connell in Massachusetts and Dónal in New York, the trio decided to call it quits as a full-time group. They occasionally regrouped for concerts, but as Liam's health declined, these were infrequent. In 2000 the Milwaukee Irish Fest had its 20th anniversary, and in celebration the entire performing Clancy family sang together on one stage at the festival. This once-in-a-lifetime line-up included Robbie O'Connell, Dónal, Liam, Bobby, Finbarr, and

Aoife Clancy Aoife ( , ) is an Irish feminine given name. The name is probably derived from the Irish Gaelic ''aoibh'', which means "beauty" or "radiance". It has been compared to the Gaulish name ''Esvios'' (Latinized ''Esuvius'', feminine ''Esuvia''), whic ...

, along with friend Eddie Dillon, a collaborator of Bobby's. In 2006 O'Connell began an ongoing collaboration with his cousins Aoife and Dónal Clancy. ''The Clancy Legacy''. Their first CD together was released in 2010. In addition to his solo career, O'Connell also performs with

, The Green Fields of America, The Clancy Legacy, and occasionally with Dan Milner, Ed Miller, and Rose Clancy. In 1995, O'Connell began hosting
Heart of Ireland
cultural tours wherein he would escort small groups of people to Ireland, concentrating on the musical and cultural traditions of particular areas. In 2003,

WGBH WGBH may refer to: * WGBH Educational Foundation, based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States ** WGBH (FM), a public radio station at Boston, Massachusetts on 89.7 MHz owned by the WGBH Educational Foundation ** WGBH-TV WGBH-TV (channel 2), ...

radio host Brian O'Donovan asked O'Connell if he would use his expertise to put together and participate in a 'GBH Learning Tour. Both tours continue to run annually.

Partial discography

;Solo *''Close To The Bone'' (1982) *''The Love Of The Land'' (1989) *''Never Learned to Dance'' (1993) *''Humorous Songs – Live'' (1998) *''Recollections'' (2002) ;With The Clancy Brothers *''Wild & Wasteful Ocean'' • Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy (1998) *''Clancy, O'Connell & Clancy'' • HLV 2001 (1997) *''The Clancy Brothers and Robbie O’Connell Live'' • Clancy Brothers & Robbie O'Connell • Vanguard VSD9445 *''Tunes 'n' Tales of Ireland'' • The Clancy Brothers & Robbie O’Connell • Folk Era FE2061 *'' Older But No Wiser'' • The Clancy Brothers & Robbie O'Connell • Vanguard 79488-2 ;As The Clancy Legacy *''The Clancy Legacy'' • The Clancy Legacy ;As Aengus *''All on a Christmas Morning'' (RCA Victor, 1998) ;As Moloney, O'Connell & Keane *''There Were Roses'' • Moloney, O'Connell & Keane • Green Linnet CSIF 1057 (1985) *''Kilkelly'' • Moloney, O'Connell & Keane • Green Linnet CSIF1072 (1987) ;As Green Fields of America *''The Green Fields of America: Live in Concert'' • Green Linnet CSIF 1096 (1998) *''The Green Fields of America'' • The Green Fields of America • Compass 2009 ;Compilation albums *''Absolutely Irish'' • Live Concert Recording *''A Christmas Celtic Sojourn - Live'' • Live Concert Recording *''Irish Songs from Old New England'' • Compilation *''The Rights of Man'' • Compilation • Green Linnet CSIF 1111 *''Sing Out America'' • Compilation • Folk Era FE2063 *''The Celts Rise Again'' • Compilation • Green Linnet 10429 *''Bringing It All Back Home'' • Compilation • BBC CD 844 *''Comfort & Joy: A Celtic Christmas Sojourn'' • Compilation • Rounder 2003 *''Dear Jean: Artists Celebrate Jean Ritchie'' • Compilation • Compass Records *''Mystic Seaport 24th Annual Sea Music Festival'' • Live Concert Compilation • Mystic Seaport

Video footage

*''The Clancy Brothers & Robbie O'Connell – Farewell To Ireland''

Writings

''Clean Cabbage in the Bucket (And Other Tales From The Irish Music Trenches)'', co-written with Seamus Kennedy, Dennis O'Rourke,

Harry O'Donoghue Harry O'Donoghue is an Irish musician. Childhood Harry was born in 1954 in the town of Drogheda on the banks of the river Boyne on the East coast of Ireland. Early career At age twenty, Harry began playing guitar and bodhran and was soon pe ...

and Frank Emerson.

References

External links

Robbie O'Connell's Homepage

Clean Cabbage in the Bucket

Annual Clancy Brothers Festival
{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnell, Robbie 1951 births

Robbie Robbie or Robby is a surname. It is usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob (given name), Rob or Robin (name), Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003. People Given nam ...

Irish folk singers Irish guitarists Irish male singers Irish songwriters Living people Irish male guitarists Musicians from County Waterford People from County Waterford People from Waterford (city) Green Linnet Records artists The Clancy Brothers members