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Píobaire, An, Volume 3, Issue 1, Page 12

Píobaire, An, Volume 3, Issue 1, Page 12
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periodical Publisher
Na Píobairí Uilleann
periodical Editor
Chairman, NPU
periodical Title
Píobaire, An
volume Number
3
issue Content
FUNERAL OF DAN O�DOWDHomily by Fr. DermodMcCarthy (Pro-Cathedral )T a !aoch imithe ar shlI na fIrinneagus Dan O�Dowd cailite.Nach aige a bhI an ceo! ma sruth is � agtaisteal b�ithre na tire seo soir agus siarle seachtmh� blian anuas, nach m�r?CaithfimId bheith buIoch do Dhia gurthug Se Dan d�inn san gc�ad �it, marbhronn Se saibhreas orainn - agusbhronn Dan saibhreas orainn. ar angcathair seo. agus ar an dtIr seo, lenaphIobaI agus an ceo! iontach a mheall s�asta.Go nd�ana Dia tr�caire ar a anam.I t was in a small windswept graveyard,half-way between Listowel and Bally-bunion, about seventeen years ago,that I first met Dan O�Dowd. He hadbeen invited to play a lament at thegrave of an old dance teacher, JerryMolyneaux, or �Munnix� as he wasknown. and the ceremony in the grave-yard that Sunday afternoon began thefestivities marking the inauguration ofSiamsa TIre, the National Folk Theatreof Ireland.Afterwards I complimented him for hislovely �T�imse im� Chodhladh �sn�D�istear Me� and we chatted aboutpipers and funerals. I remarked that ofall instruments, the uilleann pipes areeminently suitable for a graveside tn-bute at a funeral. His comment was �Ioften wonder who�ll play at mine!�Dan would be very happy, proud andgrateful to see so many of his friends inNa PIobairI Uilleann and the ClontarfBranch of Comhaltas here this morning,honouring him as he so often honouredothers.And he did not always wait to be asked.When Nano Blake of Siamsa Tire diedtragically in 1975, whom Mai and him-self met during their periodic visits toKerrv, her funeral went to Sutton. and itwas a cold frosty December morning. Asthe coffin was carried into the cemetery,the sound of pipes came from the farside of the field - Dan�s own poignantexpression of sympathy at the death of afriend.H e had many friends, the length andbreadth of Ireland. But he had aspecial gr� for his beloved Dublin.He was a son of the Liberties and proudof it!During the early years of the State, hejoined Fianna Eireann with Sean MacBride, and was subsequently interned inMountjoy Jail. The story of the rackethe created in the prison with thewarpipes he brought with him, and howthe authorities, in self-defence, even-tually shifted him to the Curragh wherehis pipe-music could safely waft acrossthe plains of Kildare, is now part of thefolklore of that historic time.12 image: -------
issue Number
1
page Number
12
periodical Author
[Periodical]
issue Publication Date
1989-10-01T00:00:00
allowedRoles
anonymous,guest,friend,member

Píobaire, An, Volume 3, Issue 1

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