2 sad stories; Liam Tarrant and Fran O'Toole and new life in The Square

A Tragedy for Siamsa Tíre in 1974

Liam Tarrant, Dancing Master

This photograph is probably the last one taken of the great dancer, Liam Tarrant. In this picture he is dancing on a stage in Carrig in west Kerry at a ceremony to mark the turning of the sod on the site of the second Teach Siamsa. He passed away shortly after the photo was taken.

Dancing with him on that day was John MacCarthy of Listowel.

Liam was one of the driving forces behind Fr. Pat Ahern’s venture of a national folk theatre, Siamsa Tíre. From the start Siamsa had national backing  but in its early years and still to this day  it was very much rooted in Kerry. The first Teach Siamsa was built in Finuge and Siamsóirí ns Ríochta was formed. This was a troupe dedicated to  the “theatrical reenactment of the occupational music, song and dance of the Irish countryside”

Liam Tarrant learned his steps from the great North Kerry dancing master, Jerry Molyneaux. The crowd in Carrig that Sunday in October 1974 were privileged to witness the last stepdance of one of the great exponents of the Jerry Molyneaux style of dancing.

A short year after Jerry was laid to rest in Gale cemetery, Liam Tarrant was buried in Rath, in a ceremony Seamus Wilmot described as “a funeral fit for a king.”

The hearse was flanked to the cemetery by Siamsóirí na Ríochta and members of Comhaltas Ceotóirí Eireann. At the graveside, Liam’s great friend, Fr. Pat Ahern played Slán le Cheoil and An Ghaoth Aneas on a fiddle he played on so often to accompany Liam’s dancing.

Bryan MacMahon gave the graveside oration and the blacksmith’s son from Glin , who died doing what he loved best , was mourned by family and friends and by everyone who loved the dance.

Laoch ar lár!

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Betty Stack gave me the newspaper cutting with the picture of Liam Tarrant and the account of his untimely death. I flicked through the other stories that were on the cutting from October 1974 and I was fascinated to read the following account of an up and coming show band singer, Fran O'Toole.

Only that same day I had read a Facebook post by Jim Halpin

"As you can see the Miami show band were booked to play in the Central Ballroom Ballybunion on the Friday the first of August 1975 and we all know what happened the night before. (sorry about the poor quality) and thanks to Noel o Connor from Ballyduff Co. Kerry for giving me the paper cutting.   Jim Halpin"

The "what happened the night before" Jim refers to is that 3 of the band members, including Fran O'Toole were killed in a terrorist ambush as they returned from a gig north of the border. The Miami Showband was one of Ireland's leading bands at the time and included in its  line up men from Northern Ireland and from the Republic.

They were a soft  target for the UVF whose plans to set the band up as IRA supporters carrying guns across the border went horribly wrong. The bomb the UVF was planting in their van as they detained them at a fake road block went off prematurely killing 2 of the terrorists and three band members and traumatizing and injuring the others.

The Miami Massacre was one of the worst atrocities of a bloody vicious campaign in Northern Ireland by UVF and IRA militants.

The Miami in 1984. Fran O'Toole is standing second from right.

Below is a link to the Belfast Telegraph article about the massacre

The Day the Music Died

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An old house is being refurbished at Skeheneran. These interesting old outhouses and barn are now visible from the road.

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Glamour has moved

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New shop in The Square

I took the photo of this new dress shop on the day it opened, August 1 2015. It didn't have a name. Maybe it has now.