Ireland - Comhaltas Archive

TREOIRThe cottage at Fernagh with new born inforegroundFernagh session was maintained."They came from Armagh, Donegaland Fermanagh,From the Lough Shore as well,singing like Geordie Hanna,From Kildare, Co. Meath, DublinTown and fore-bye,With Cavan and Leitrim folk, joy in .their eye."Theinternationalstars like CharlieLandsborough orthe blues singerfrom Alabamagot the samef;iilte as thelocalseancaidhe orthe young childon the tinwhistle. JohnMontague gotequal respectfor his versesas the localballad-makerwith his firstpublicappearance.Many newperformerscut theirteeth herein the friendly atmospherebefore going on to success in thefield of radio and publicentertainment. Radio andtelevision producers frequentedOwen's cottageand got theconducted tour,the story and theentertainmentjust as naturallyas if they werepart of theeveryday scene."The French cameand sang, Basquemen with guitars,Canadian females,they yodelled likestars.Yank singers anddancers, theymoved through the crush,And Tom Sweeney sang with a voicelike a thrush.""We had Portuguese guests whosure took the house down,Their bodhrans were squareandtheypassedthemfriends incommand."session wasreaching its peak Owen was in hiselement. He took up a position in theright-hand corner, with his back tothe fire. Equipped with aset of bones, he beat outthe time with thedelicate rhythms of theexpert. As the musicswung and lifted Owenbeamed contentedly,knowing that he had hisfinger on the pulse of anancient culture, where hecould play an importantpart in its promotion andevolution. A shy man atheart, he came alive withthe house session whenthe poetry, music andsong carried us off toanother plane, farremoved from the mundane things ofthis world.Towards the end of the eveningOwen might be prevailed upon to tellthe story of the cottage for the firsttime visitors. He would recall itspurchase, reconstruction section bysection, and how tradesmen andfriends worked with him on thislabour of love. Each part had a tale totell, from the flags on the floor, thepine furniture, the plates on thedresser, to the very slates on theroof. The deals, the transactions, thebartering and swopping were allrecalled with pleasure, particularlywhen the outcome was enjoyed byso many.Whenever the friends of Fernaghassemble they will recall Owen's deepresonant voice, his strong Tyroneaccent with hints of Donegal echoinground the quietened cottage. He willlive on in the minds of those whowere privileged to be present onthose special occasions. The thoughtsof many are with Kate, his sorrowingwife and family who will feel most theloss of Owen. He was truly a uniqueand wonderful person, whose likes wewill seldom see again.Go ndeanaigh Dia tr6caire ar a anamuasal.22