Tommy Makem (1932-2007) was an internationally renowned Irish-folk musician. He came to prominence in the early Sixties, making a notable appearance at the 1961 Newport Folk Festival. For much of the Sixties he would perform to great acclaim alongside The Clancy Brothers. He split from the group in 1969 and remained a solo performer for much of the remainder of his career, occasionally working with Liam Clancy as Clancy and Makem. The song in this clip, 'The Ballad of William Bloat', was one of the odder numbers in his repertoire.