Irish sax player and singer Mr Paddy Cole passed away this afternoon, aged in his 86th year. He had recently celebrated his 85th birthday, on December17th last. The musician and singer was just 12-years-old when he first played took to the stage at a venue in his home town of Castleblayney, Co Monaghan.
Mr Cole joined the Capitol showband in the early 1960’s and widely toured the country with them. He would later be recruited by the Big Eight Showband, latter a group of Irish musicians who went to play in Las Vegas, before returning home to Ireland, in later years.
Mr Cole co-owned a pub and restaurant in Castleblayney town with his wife Helen, and in more recent years resided in Co. Dublin.
In a statement, his son Pat said: “The music world mourns the loss of the legendary Paddy Cole, a beloved entertainer who brought joy to thousands with his vibrant personality and infectious music. From the Capitol Showband to his own Superstars, Paddy Cole’s saxophone, clarinet, and vocals filled dance halls and concert stages with his signature blend of jazz, Dixieland, and showband sounds. His music transcended generations, creating memories that will forever be cherished. On behalf of his family, we express our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love and support during this difficult time. Paddy’s legacy will live on through the music he created and the joy he shared with the world”.
Mr Cole is survived by his wife Helen and three children, Pat, Pearse and Karen.
Lyrics: A humorous Irish folk song, written by Liverpudlian Anthony Murphy, about a man whose father was a Protestant (“Orange”) and whose mother was a Catholic (“Green”). It describes the man’s trials as the product of religious intermarriage and how “mixed up” he became, as a result of such an upbringing. Vocals: Irish folk singer and guitarist, Dublin born Paddy Reilly.
The Orange and the Green
Oh, me father was an Ulster man, proud Protestant was he. Me mother was a Catholic girl, from county Cork came she. They had married in two churches, lived happily enough, Until the day that I was born and things got rather rough. Oh, it is the biggest mix-up that you have ever seen. Me father, he was Orange and me mother, she was Green. Oh, Baptized by Father Riley, I got rushed away by car, To be made a little Orange man, me father’s shining star. I was christened “David Anthony”, but still, in spite of that, To me father, I was “William”, while my mother called me “Pat”. Oh, it is the biggest mix-up that you have ever seen. Me father, he was Orange and me mother, she was Green. Up to Mass every Sunday, with Ma I’d proudly stroll. And after that, the Orange lodge would try to save me soul. Well I’d go along with both of them for I was smartly called. I’d play me harp or play me flute, depending where I was. Oh, it is the biggest mix-up that you have ever seen. Me father, he was Orange and me mother, she was Green. Now, when I’d sing them rebel songs ‘twould fill my mother’s joy. My father he’d leap up and shout “Look here William me boy”, “That’s quite enough of that lot!”, he’d then toss’ me a coin, And have me thinking bally on the heroes of the Boyne. Oh, it is the biggest mix-up that you have ever seen. Me father, he was Orange and me mother, she was Green. Well they’ve both passed on, God rest ’em, and left me caught between, The awful colour problem of the Orange and the Green. Oh it is the biggest mix up that you have ever seen. Me father, he was Orange and me mother, she was Green. END
Ireland’s Mid-West Region, which incorporates North Co. Tipperary, Co. Clare and Co. Limerick, welcome the arrival of spring with its annual Imbolc Celebration*, same to be held in Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Co. Clare. These celebrations will involve a vibrant festival honouring Celtic traditions and Saint Brigid, and will be held on Sunday, February 2nd, 2025, from 11:00am until 5.00pm.
*Meaning of “Imbolc Celebration”: The celebration of Imbolc originates from the Celts. Imbolc symbolizes the halfway point between the winter solstice (Yule) and the spring equinox (Ostara). The word “imbolc” translated means “in the belly of the Mother,” because the seeds of spring are beginning to stir in the belly of Mother Earth.
This Co. Clare family-friendly event, in Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, offers the public an opportunity to meet an array of native Irish animals and embrace the vibrant crafts, traditions, and customs that characterise the spring season.
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park’s Bean an Tís will guide the public through the traditional craft of butter making, during its annual Imbolc Celebration on February 2nd.
Visitors can witness authentic demonstrations of Saint Brigid’s Cross weaving and traditional butter making by skilled Bean an Tís(Translation from the Irish: Women of the house or housewives), while the Clare Vintage and Engine Tractor Club will showcase century-old agricultural machinery in action.
“Our Imbolc Celebration will bring visitors on a journey back to an older time in Ireland, to experience and learn more about Ireland’s pastoral traditions,” stated Marie Brennan, (Events Manager at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park).
“At Bunratty Folk Park, we pride ourselves on showcasing what life was like in Ireland at the turn of the last century and how traditional crafts were a prominent feature in communities across the island,” added Ms. Brennan. “Imbolc represents the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox and has been celebrated in this country since ancient times. We are keeping this tradition alive on February 2nd and are promising people of all ages a fun-filled, interactive and educational experience.”
Visitors will be able to learn how to make a Saint Brigid’s Cross, an iconic symbol that has graced Irish homes for centuries. Bunratty’s experienced Bean an Tís will guide the public through these traditional crafts, demonstrating the meticulous process of weaving straw or rushes into the distinctive Saint Brigid’s Cross shape. Butter-making demonstrations also will take place throughout the day.
The art of Willow Weaving will be on full display as Tom Delaney, of Ould Crafty, makes traditional style baskets and other items from locally sourced willow. Regularly featured on TV, Mr Delaney will also use willow to make bird feeders, plant supports, boats and willow houses.
A variety of native Irish animals from Peafowl and Kerry Bog Ponies, to Irish Red Deer and Bunratty’s resident Irish Wolfhounds, Rian and Mide, will be on display as part of this visitor attraction; all part of the ongoing work to increase awareness of native Irish breeds and how they have formed part of Ireland’s social and cultural history down through the centuries.
There will also be children’s entertainment from a host of characters located throughout the 26-acre Folk Park, including a rousing traditional music Seisiún and the resident Seanchaí Mickey Joe, latter who will recall tales of bygone days and traditional ways preserved over the centuries, at Corry’s Pub on the park’s Village Street. Meanwhile, Konor the Clown will be performing magic, juggling and music in the Corn Barn, where there will be a ‘ball pit’ and ‘giant games‘ for toddlers to enjoy. The Bunratty Express Train also will run throughout the folk park on that day.
The Clare Vintage and Engine Tractor Club will showcase an array of vintage agricultural machinery at work during Bunratty’s annual Imbolc Celebration on February 2nd.
As the Folk Park farm springs into life for the new season, the Clare Vintage and Engine Tractor Club will showcase an array of vintage agricultural machinery at work, including water pumps and stationary engines that are over 100 years old. Ireland’s largest collection of vintage farm machinery, The Talbot Collection, will be on display throughout the 26-acre folk park and will feature more than 50 items of machinery, from ploughs to hay rakes and from traditional threshing machines to Turnip and Mangel Seed sowers.
See www.bunrattycastle.ie for more on the Imbolc Celebration at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, County Clare, to be held on February 2nd 2025, from 11.00am to 5.00pm. Standard entry prices will only apply.
Vocals:English singer, presenter and actor Michael Ball. Lyrics:English lyricist, librettist and songwriter Charles Hart and English lyricist Don Black. Music:English composer and impresario of musical theatre Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Love Changes Everything.
Love, love changes everything, Hands and faces, earth and sky. Love, Love changes everything, How you live and how you die. Love can make the summer fly, Or a night seem like a lifetime. Yes, love, love changes everything, Now I tremble at your name Nothing in the world will ever be the same. Love, love changes everything, Days are longer, words mean more. Love, love changes everything, Pain is deeper than before. Love will turn your world around, And that world will last forever. Yes, love, love changes everything, Brings you glory, brings you shame, Nothing in the world will ever be the same. Off into the world we go, Planning futures, shaping years. Love bursts in, and suddenly, All our wisdom disappears. Love makes fools of everyone, All the rules we make are broken. Yes, love, love changes everything, Live or perish in its flame. Love will never, never let you be the same. Love will never, never let you be the same.
Love changes everything, Hands and faces, earth and sky. END.
Lyrics: American country music singer, songwriter and television host Bill Anderson and American producer, songwriter, and musician Jon Randall. Vocals: American producer, songwriter, and musician Brad Paisley and American bluegrass-country singer, fiddler and music producer Alison Krauss.
Whiskey Lullaby.
She put him out, Like the burning end of a midnight cigarette. She broke his heart. He spent his whole life trying to forget. We watched him drink his pain away, a little at a time, But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind, Until the night, He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger, And finally drank away her memory. Life is short but this time it was bigger, Than the strength he had to get up off his knees. We found him with his face down in the pillow, With a note that said “I’ll love her ’till I die”, And when we buried him beneath the willow, The angels sang a whiskey lullaby.
La la la la la la la…………
The rumours flew, But nobody knew how much she blamed herself, For years and years, She tried to hide the whiskey on her breath. She finally drank her pain away, a little at a time, But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind, Until the night, She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger, And finally drank away his memory. Life is short, but this time it was bigger, Then the strength she had to get up off her knees. They found her with her face down in the pillow, Clinging to his picture for dear life. They laid her next to him beneath the willow, While the angels sang a whiskey lullaby.
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