Last Fridaynight, at the launch of the WCSS CDs, we heard Joe was seriously ill in hospital in Drogheda. The sad news just arrived he died today.
He never went out without the brollie for some reason, always ready for a bit of rain.
One memorable meeting I had was in 1989, I was staying at Geoff Wooff’s, who was living in Doonagore at that time, in the house that once was Patrick Flannagan’s, the man who taught the Russells most of their music. During one afternoon I walked down to Fisherstreet, took the pipes along. Micho Russell was there, he hauled me into O’Connor’s and told me to put on the pipes. Barely into the second tune Joe Ryan walked in with the fiddle and joined. Micho was soon distracted by two German girls but Joe and myself played for hours until the landlady stood us a big free meal. It was a good day.
Some five years ago I was driving my son to his karateclass in Ennistymon. I had the windows rolled down and we were playing the Two Gentlemen of Clare music on the CD player. On the backroad near Moonagh lake we met an old Renault 4, we pulled over to let eachother pass. It was Joe Ryan, he had the window open as well and as he passed, he heard the tunes in the car, ‘Lovely Music’ I said as he drove past, he smiled and was gone again. That was a nice day too.
Damn. Sorry to hear that. He was a mighty man, a gentleman indeed. Thank goodness for the few recordings we have, now that he’s no longer with us. Cheers,
One of these days, Peter, your collection of photos and anecdotes is going to be seen as a magnificent resource.
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I’ve been reading a copy of Jan Yoors’ book of photos of European gypsies taken between the wars and after in eastern europe and the US. Yoors was a belgian artist’s son, who spent the summers–actually, much of the year–between the ages of 12 and 18 or so (when ww2 began) travelling with a kumpania of Rom he’d befriended. His memoir of this time is practically the only account of a unique way of life, soon to be destroyed by the nazis.
This book is a recent publication, which pairs exerpts from his text with his own photos, some contemporary and some more recent. I highly recommend it, along with his pre-war and wartime memoirs. He spent the latter as the liason between the gypsies and what was presumably the british SOE in Occupied France. It’s a fascinating read, but “The Gypsies”, his first book is the gem.
Not to hijack the thread too badly … But I knew Jan Yoors slightly back in the 1970s, when I was doing ethnographic work among the American Romany. Both his photography and his tapestries were as striking and moving as the man himself. And his experiences and insights were invaluable to a young researcher trying to make sense of the secretive maze of Gypsy culture. I must still have his interview tapes somewhere.
He lived in an elegant old brownstone in Greenwich Village, filled with his art and photography, and high ceilings enough to accommodate his huge tapestry looms. By that time he was already very ill, having lost both legs and being confined to a wheelchair. But his sister and lovely oriental wife continued to execute his artistic vision. All were gracious, giving, and unforgettable.
Ian Hancock at UT Austin, who apparently wrote the introduction to the book, was also very kind to me on the linguistics side of things, supplying his personal glossaries and grammars of Romany language.
Sorry, this just triggered some fond memories. I’m sure the book is lovely. Now back to the thread in progress …
I’ve heard James Keane do his talk on all his interactions with many of the great musicians of the older days. You hear him tell a story about someone then mention that the person passed on just a couple years ago. The story of the living person set next to the mention of their passing always prompted a wistfulness and sense of loss.
Peter’s pictures and this news has a similar effect. All I can hope is that there’s a mighty session somewhere that Joe is now unpacking his fiddle for.
Joe was laid to rest today in Inagh. Lovely music during the mass, loads of musicians fro mall over in attendance. . Jim McArdle spoke very heartfelt at the end of the mass, beautiful words that summed up the man. ‘Beautiful words’ I said to Jackie Daly after, he replied ‘it was so beautiful you’d start thinking of dying yourself’.
Tony McMahon spoke a graveside tribute, passionate as ever and carefully aware of how to gesture at the camera. Seamus McMathuna sang and while things were breaking up a bit of music was played. Music was starting up in Garvey’s after but I was designated driver for Kitty Hayes and Mary Tuttle (John Joe stayed put, playing) so I had to leave when they were ready to go, soon after the cup of tea and sandwiches.
I am saddened by the news that Joe Ryan is dead. He was truly a gentleman and a great fiddler to boot.
I first met Joe back around 1972, when he was playing with John Kelly at Donahue’s pub in Dublin. When you walked in the door the two of them were sitting just to the right of the entrance, usually surrounded by pints and fans. What great stuff.
It seems only yesterday that I sat in Joe’s house, along with harmonica player Eddie Clarke and recorded “Cross Roads” for the Green Linnet label. When they played together it was a new kind of sound that was ghost like in character seeming to appear out of nowhere. Wonderful music.
Thanks for sharing this Peter. May Joe rest in peace. I had little interaction with Joe besides my first trip to Willie Clancy, where Joe joined John Kelly and Bobby Casey in teaching our fiddle class. I didn’t know the company I kept at the time, but sure do appreciate it now.
A sad day indeed Peter.
I heard some of Joes playing years ago and I was just blown away, he was a very special fiddle player.
The angels are going to have some stiff competition now that Joe is in their company!
That’s my recollection of him too. Maybe we met then without knowing each other, Pat, at the time I was just getting interested in the music.
I loved Jackie Daly’s comment as relayed by Peter, and the photos of the session. Proof that life goes on, and at least in the case of Joe his passing, though a loss to music lovers, was not untimely as some others’.
It has come to my attention that both ‘The Irish Voice’ and ‘Irish World’ newspapers have used the photographs I inserted in the first post of this thread in their respective publications of Paul Keating’s and Breandan Mulkere’s obituaries of Joe Ryan. Permission was asked nor given. I regret having to take down the pics. It seems placing them here is taken by some as a licence for a free for all, regardless of copyright. Those who do, are mistaken.
Last time I was around to hear the man was at Bobby Casey’s funeral - he played at the site on that occasion. Very solemn, very fine. We should all be so lucky as to have such peers to mourn for us.
Sorry to hear about the pictures mate. That is upsetting, doubly so as it robs us of the chance to see them - did they even offer photo credit in the article? Particularly on such an occasion it seems bad form to appropriate without so much as a “by your leave.”
He did indeed Peter, a strong memory it’s true. And there was a shattering power about that isolation when he played for Casey, with the wind all around, as I remember it, the last of his peers on the fiddle - you couldn’t get your head around it - least I couldn’t.
There were all too many funerals at that time, in a short space of time we buried Junior, Rochford. Casey was over on St Patrick’s Day and he was in good form, playing on the eve with Jackie Daly in Fahy’s, I took pictures of Bobby, Jackie and Tommy McCarthy of the day. Six weeks or so later I gave Tommy prints of those at the night of Bobby’s removal, outside the funeral home. He was gone six months later as well. Almost all the old familiar faces are gone now.
I was playing with Joe, JC Talty (another one we lost since), Brid O Donohue and a few others on the day Eddie Clarke died. Tom Munnelly (who is gone now too) had told me the news earlier that day but none of us had the heart breaking it to Joe.
