Tommy Makem, a singer-songwriter and storyteller who played a major role in popularizing Irish folk music in America, as well as in his native Ireland, died of lung cancer Wednesday, Aug. 1, at his Dover, New Hampshire home.

Widely regarded as the godfather of Irish music, Makem, 74, regaled audiences with traditional Irish songs and stories for more than half a century, as well as his own ballads like “Four Green Fields” and “Gentle Annie,” sung in his rich baritone, while accompanying himself on the banjo and tin whistle.

Named, at age 28, as one of the most promising newcomers at the Newport Folk Festival in 1961, Makem performed with The Clancy Brothers from 1956 thru early 1969, before opting to go solo for a few years.  In 1975, he reunited with Liam Clancy, whom he met in Ireland before they both emigrated to the U.S., ostensibly to pursue careers in the theater.  The two performed together as a duo until 1988, when Makem resumed his solo career.

I’ll cherish my memories of hearing Tommy Makem sing at several venues in New York over the years — including the 1999 Guinness Fleadh on Randall’s Island and an Irish festival two summers ago in Patchogue, Long Island — as well as nights spent at Tommy Makem’s Irish Pavilion, a restaurant and pub he owned in Manhattan for some 15 years, although the bard of Armagh, who performed many drinking songs, did not himself partake of alcohol.