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LAST UPDATE | 13 Jan
(Seo alt ónár bhfoireann nua Gaeltachta. Is féidir an bunleagan as Gaeilge a léamh anseo.)
SEÁN Ó SÉ, the singer who along with Seán Ó Riada and Ceoltóirí Chualainn revolutionised Irish traditional music in the 1960s, has passed away, having been ill for a short time.
Ó Sé, who performed all over the world and was specially recognised for his version of ‘An Poc Ar Buile’, the first song in Irish to top the charts, would have been 90 this coming Friday.
His death occurred just a few months after the death of his wife, Eileen.
The President of Ireland, Catherine Connolly, said that she had learned of the singer’s death with ‘deep sadness’.
“Seán’s singing, rooted in the Irish language, rich in storytelling, and carried with rare warmth, brought generations of listeners at home and abroad closer to the beauty and power of our musical heritage,” said President Connolly in a statement issued on Wednesday.
“From his work with Seán Ó Riada and Ceoltóirí Chualann to his performances on international stages, he contributed immeasurably to the revival and renewal of Irish traditional music.”
Speaking to The Journal shortly after the singer’s death was announced on Tuesday evening, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “deeply saddened” by Ó Sé’s death and said he had fond memories of him as he closed the celebrations with his version of ‘The Banks of My Own Lovely Lee’ at a time when Cork were winning the All-Ireland championships in football and hurling.
“He was a great singer and there was a special bond between him and Seán Ó Riada,” said the Taoiseach. “I remember attending the Ó Riada Mass in Cork and Seán Ó Sé would sing the various hymns.
“A legend, Seán was an iconic figure in Irish education, culture and traditional music who had an extraordinary impact on Irish music and song.
His friendship with the late Seán Ó Riada was unique; they had a very strong bond and Seán was the definitive interpreter of Ó Riada’s music.
“He was renowned for his singing performances, particularly for An Poc Ar Buile, and did great work with Cór Chúil Aodha.
“His death marks the end of an era, and my condolences go out to his family, Áine, Con and Íde.”
While singing with Ceoltóirí Chualainn in the 1960s, Ó Sé and Seán Ó Riada released perhaps the most famous Irish language song, An Poc Ar Buile, as a single, and it topped the charts in Ireland in 1962, the first Irish language song to reach the top of the charts, a song released by Gael Linn.
There have been few Irish cultural events that Ó Sé didn’t sing at, and he made An Poc Ar Buile famous all over the world. The words were written by poet Dònal Ó Mulláin of Screathan na nGamhan near Cúil Aodha.
Ó Sé had been singing professionally until recently. In August of this year, he took part in the Féile na Laoch, a festival held in Cúil Aodha in west Cork once every seven years to pay tribute to Riadach and other heroes of Gaelic culture, and was due to take part in a special concert in the National Concert Hall in March to bring together members of the Chualann Choir and their descendants.
He released an album of songs in Irish, ‘Dir Cúm Thola agus Cúil Aodha, with Peadar Ó Riada, and following that, they released an album of songs in Irish and English, Through Banks of Mist.
Peadar told The Journal that every day of in more than 63 years of friendship he had the privilege to be in the company of Seán Ó Sé was an ‘enjoyable occasion full of pleasure:
“Seán was a fond, gentle and creative friend, smiling and funny, charitable and kind to all of us.”
He was from Ballylickey near Beanntraí and attended Coláiste Íosagáin in Baile Mhúirne before training as a teacher at Coláiste St. Patrick’s College in Drumcondra. He was a primary school teacher in Bandon Bridge and was appointed principal of St. Mary’s National School on the Hill in 1980. By the time he retired in 1993, the school had over 900 pupils attending and was one of the largest primary schools in the country.
He met An Riadach in the early 60s and was on stage at one of the most famous concerts in the history of traditional music, Ó Riada at the Gaiety, in 1969. This event was held to pay tribute to the Ulster poet, Peadar Ó Doirnín.
It was at this concert that Ó Sé sang ‘Tá Bean in Éirinn’ for the first time, a poem by Ó Doirnín that An Riadach set to music anew and many other singers have tried to sing the same song but have not managed to reach the top notes that Ó Sé sang.
In October, Ó Sé was awarded an honorary doctorate from University College Cork, and TG4 awarded him a Gradam Saoil/Lifetime Achievement award in 2021. Last week, the Dublin TradFest Festival presented him and Peggy Seeger with lifetime achievement awards.
The Journal’s Gaeltacht initiative is supported by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
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