Conor Makem

I spent more than twenty years on the road with the Irish folk band the Makem Brothers and later the Makem and Spain Brothers, playing the majority of the states, as well as Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Scotland, and on cruises around dozens of the Caribbean islands. Together we highlighted national PBS specials, top Irish talk shows, the biggest Irish festivals and some of the most beautiful and legendary concert halls. All told, we performed before millions of people.

We also created ten albums and a bunch of singles. We recorded with some of the biggest names in folk music and I was honored to have other musical acts perform and record songs I have penned.

At the turn of the century, I began working as a reporter and photographer and spent twelve years talking with people and putting their stories on paper. I received multiple press association writing and photography awards including first place for investigative journalism.

Writing continues today in the form of a blog — which I’ll be posting here — and novels. And I will always be taking photos and trying to coax the beauty out of whatever setting surrounds me.

Singing is in my blood and I have hundreds of songs stored up in the old cobwebs, many of them all but forgotten in today’s world. I plan on adding to the folk tradition of both the United States and Ireland in the form of new songs because … well I don’t know what else to do with what’s inside me.

What will flow through these pages may disappoint some people. I am a liberal atheist. I haven’t put that out there in such blatant terms before, but my days of trying to win fans have passed and I no longer need to sequester myself behind a reporter’s facade of neutrality. I care about all living things and believe no one’s rights should trample on another’s. It’s a lesson I’ve learned especially well in recent years.

I’ve had a lot of time for soul searching and have been supported, even at times when I didn’t feel worthy, by friends and family, and a very special woman who stuck with me through thick and thin. I’ve made mistakes and am trying to atone for them by leading a better life. My goal now is to add to the beauty that already abounds on this great floating orb and I’ve delved into that adventure with a newfound appreciation for life and the myriad forms it takes.

I’ve also been involved with a website with Libby, my partner, named Irish Food Revolution. We realized that food is experiencing a renaissance in Ireland and wanted to start a site to highlight that fact as the country quickly works its way into an international food destination. Check it out at the link below.

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