I had a nice couple of days in Clare with the family, we stayed in the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon which was very nice indeed. While I was there I decided to go and have a look for Willie Clancy’s grave as I have never been before.We headed off to Ballard cemetery to have a look but for a while we couldn’t find it as its quite a big cemetery so the four of us spread out and who ever found it could choose the restaurant where we would eat that night.My wife found the grave and we had Chinese.
Anyway for anyone who has never seen it it here is Willie’s Headstone and the plaque that lies adjacent to the grave. I never knew that Gilbert was also buried there and who was Nell and Pat ? It was also sad to find out that Willie had a Child that died as an infant, I never knew that.
I didn’t know that Willie had a child. Willie would have been 45 years old then in 1962 when his child died, which would have been a very hard blow, must have affected him greatly. Willie was only 53 years old when he died.
It was discussed, in the Cerbh É program, especially by Ivor Browne in the context of him planning to refer Willie to medical help shortly before he died. 1963 was, by the way, shortly after Willie’s marriage to Doirín.
“Willie would have been 45 years old then in 1962 when his child died,”
Excuse me, mixing the dates up here. Should read Willie was 45 years old in 1963 and 54 years old? when he passed away.
I wonder if Willie had much chance to play the pipes as much as he wanted to whilst in London. Couldn’t have been easy living in digs, sharing a room with others, to practice unless he used a quiet flat set.
For those interested, Peter Browne produced a documentary on RTE Radio about Willie Clancy called Lashings of Music. It contains much info on his time in London and is well worth listening to.
An MP3 of the show is available via Pat D’Arcy’s site:
Thanks for that PJ. I’ve listened to the program before some years ago, but had forgotten about it. Willie lived with three other musicians in digs those five or so years in London. Playing in the Camden/Kentish town pubs every evening. Understandable in light of their accommodation, far better to sit in the pub during the evenings after work and play music, than be cooped up in a small room. The incident with the bucket of pee and the bobby is funny. London’s Metropolitan police are not sympathetic people, especially these days. As Pat Mitchell remarked Willie’s name is associated with the Summer School, but not all are familiar with his playing, which is well worth a listen. Willie was a remarkable musician.
Nice photos there Mr. Gumby. Here’s Willie being interviewed and playing what seems to be a Rowsome or Kennedy chanter with his Taylor set body http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aShauWsXQos
