More tributes have been paid to 29-year-old Stevie Martin, AKA Rainy Boy Sleep, whose body was discovered over the weekend on Sligo’s Strandhill Beach. He had been missing for nearly a month, last spotted in Derry.
“Saddened by the news of Stevie Martin,” Gavin James rues. “A great musician and a gent. Gone to soon. All my thoughts are with his family x.”
Those sentiments are echoed by Snow Patrol who say: “Sad to hear the news of Stephen Martin. Love & thoughts are with his family.”
The guys linked through to the gorgeous version of ‘Chocolate’ that Stevie performed on BBC Gaeilge.
“Been a week most Lifford folk would like to forget, but not this guy or his music,” messaged Mickey Joe Harte whilst RTÉ’s Bláthnaid Treacy adds: “So saddened to hear of Stevie Martin’s departure from this world. Such a lovely lovely gent and very talented"; “Such a talented musician and a sweet, gentle young man”, agree The Henry Girls, and “A great guy with a wonderful spirit. Incredible talent gone too soon,” add the Corner Boy crew.
There’s a gorgeous Facebook message from the Stendhal Festival of Art who heard the tragic news while this year’s bash was in full-flow.
“Stendhal can be an incredibly difficult endeavour at times and this year hearing the news about Stevie Martin as we tried to keep everything on schedule and safe for everyone was up there with one of the most difficult things we as a team have ever had to do,” they say. “Stevie had so many people up here who loved and admired him and the idea that we will never have him up at the farm again is heartbreaking. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family in Lifford and his extended family here in Limavady. Sleep well Stevie and thank you for the hope and inspiration you gave to Limavady's music scene.”
Our man in the North, Colin Carberry, had a May 2012 chat with Stevie, which you can read here:
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