Tag Archives: musician

A fundraising campaign which was set up to help support the family of an Ennis teenager who died in Slovenia has had an “incredible” response with hundreds of people giving donations. The online fundraiser launched in the wake of the tragic passing of musician Seán Shannon surpassed its initial target of €5,000 within a couple of hours of being set up, and so far more than €21,000 has been donated. 18-year-old Seán, a talented pianist from Connolly Villas in Ennis, was found dead after going missing in Bled last Friday where he was holidaying. His loss has led to an outpouring of grief locally with many tributes being paid to the youngster. Ennis Councillor Mary Howard who set up the fundraising campaign explains that the monies raised will go towards alleviating the “considerable expenditure” the Shannon family are facing following their loss. Any unspent funds will be donated to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust which aims to alleviate the financial hardship …

A CLOUD of gloom hung heavily over Clare County Council this week following the sudden death of senior engineer Sean Ward. The 63-year-old Abbeyfeale native, who moved to live in Sixmilebridge after joining the council in 2001, fell ill on Saturday and died unexpectedly last Monday morning. At his funeral mass, Bishop Emeritus Willie Walsh paid tribute to the major contribution that Mr Ward made to public service and to the local community, through his musical talents with the Sixmilebridge Folk Club. Musicians from throughout the county played various pieces in his memory during a moving and emotional ceremony attended by a large number of officials from Clare County Council and other local authorities where he previously worked. An accomplished accordion and concertina player, he could play a variety of instruments, including the fiddle, tin whistle and piano. Funeral goers were told that the deceased had expressed a wish to donate all of his instruments to his beloved folk club. …

PASSIONATE about playing himself and bringing the music of others into the public domain, Eoin O’Neill is a big part of the scene in Clare. “I arrived in Doolin on December 28, 1979. I thought I was coming for an afternoon and I’m still here,” he says of his arrival in this county. That wasn’t far off 40 years ago and he has been playing here since, while he also hosts shows on local radio. “I’m more passionate than ever. I’m lucky in that I have a couple of shows on Clare FM and that allows me to feature the local musicians, especially the local ones that should be featured and aren’t featured enough. I’m allowed to play whatever I want and I appreciate that so much.” A bazouki player, he has a few new albums coming out. “At the moment, I have two albums completed and ready for release. One is with a band I play with, The Fiddle …