Last night Michael Downes of Cloonlaheen, Miltown Malbay died in hospital in Ennis, aged 87. Michael was one of the few last surviving fiddlers in the West Clare style from the group that included Junior Crehan, Bobby Casey, Joe Ryan, John Kelly, Patrick Galvin and John Joe Tuttle.
Michael started learning the fiddle during the early 1930s receiving tips (no formal tuition would be given at that time), from Anthony Frawley. Later picking up more from his life long friends Junior Crehan and Bobby Casey During the 30s Bobby Casey and himself would criss-cross West Clare on their bicycles to play at house dances. the rakish humour of those days never really left them. I remember one night at teh start of a Willie Clancy week during the late 90s when some of us were waitign near the stage in Gleeson’s for the music to start when Bobbby Casey and Joe Ryan came in. In town a group of young people had been handing out free condoms as part of an AIDS prevention campaign. Bobby came up to Michael, stuck his hand in his pocket and put a condom in Michael’s hand ‘in case you get lucky tonight’
During the 1960s Michael was part of the Quilty Ceiliband which also included Junior Crehan, Patrick Galvin, Josie Hayes and JP Downes. When Gleeson’s of Coore opened during the 70s the group of musicians moved in there for their music on Sunday nights. They were a feature there for the rest of their lives. Known affectionately as Dad’s Army or sometimes less reverently the Stiff Six (and taking it one step further: the Six Stiffs)
Michael was the last to sit in there, keeping his seat until the end of the 1990s alongside us, taking over.
A man of strong musical opinions, a lover of contrary tunes, especially the ones composed by Paddy Fahey, Michael kept playing until very recently, until a mild stroke took away the control of his bowing arm. Moving away from his home perched beside Doo Lough he spent the his last few years in a new house just outside of town. Playing music in his ‘music room’ listening to his collection of tapes of Paddy Fahey and Bobby Casey, often urging you to come in for a tune. Deepest sympathy goes to his wife Bridie and his family.
Sad news. Thank you for letting us know, Peter.
I’m sure he’s playing again now. I hope I’ll still be playing fiddle at 87.
That is a fine tribute to a musician who obviously lived for his music. Thanks Peter, for the post and information.
Kudos from me too, Peter. You should get a site going with profiles of all these people, what with the cameras and literary bent and all.
Ah, a “Chest Fiddler” as they’re called. I played a few with a guy who held the bottom of the fiddle on the knee of a crossed leg. Myself, I’m going back to holding the fiddle like a cello. Left hand can’t handle that standard grip, maybe the years of playing chanters has ruined me.
We buried Michael yesterday. There was fiddle music in the church, Eamonn McGivney played the Drunken Gauger and Port na Phuca, Kitty Hayes played A Stor mo Chroi on the concertina, joined by the group for Caisleann an Oirr.
At the cemetary in Coore it was showery, I was in the piper’s corner talking to JC Talty and Geoff Wooff when a shower blew in, Tommy Munnelly tried to get the brolly up only to find it apparently had blown to bits in a previous shower so he was left standing in the rain. The rain came and went, Eamonn McGivney, John Joe Tuttle and Barry Taylor played at the graveside just before the next shower came in.
Few of Michael’s generation are left now but it’s good to remember they were the ones who kept the tunes as a link to a totally different time, they were the people we went to (and we still go to the ones who are still here) to learn from. They freely gave their tunes and music for us to keep for a while and to care for.
Michael wasn’t famous or seeking fame but he was mad for music. He had a huge store of rare music which he loved to hand over if you were interested. As someone at the funeral said, you’d never know what tune he’d come up with next, he had so many. All we can do is play the tunes and remember the people who gave them to us, and with the tunes cherish their memories.
You should get a site going with profiles of all these people
If Kevin didn’t say it, I would have. Perhaps many of these people appear on tapes as well?
I really envy your position, Peter. There’s so many unanswered questions… questions that perhaps can’t even be vocalized, but being able to listen and play with these musicians, well, maybe you get to absorb a bit of the answers.