Tributes paid to Irish singer and fiddle player Mick O'Grady

Music
23 Mar 22

Mick O'Grady (cover of his album The Long Distance Kid)

"The Irish music community and the wider world has lost a titan today," Ispíní na hÉireann remarked.

Ireland's traditional music community continues to pay tribute to singer and fiddler Mick Grady, following the news of his passing yesterday.

Originally hailing from Co. Leitrim, O'Grady moved to Ballaghaderreen in Co. Roscommon as a child, and grew up listening to the likes of Fred Finn and Pack Spellman. He later spent time living in London and across America, before settling in Dublin – and becoming a regular fixture in The Cobblestone, Tom Mulligan's traditional Irish music pub and venue in Smithfield. In 2009, O'Grady released the album, The Long Distance Kid.

The Cobblestone took to social media to describe him a "friend and guiding light".

"We are all the better off for knowing this great individual and really sad that he has died," they wrote. "We are blessed with lovely memories of Mick, his music, his stories and his wit. May he rest in peace, God be good to him."

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Folk group Ispíní na hÉireann also paid tribute.

"The Irish music community and the wider world has lost a titan today," they remarked. "He was a humble and beautiful soul, who kept the Cobblestone afloat with music during its early days. His sessions with the likes of Oliver Farrelly, Jesse Smith, Pat Goode, Tom Toher & Stefan Le Paz were highlights of every week and as time went by he began to welcome more chaos and divilment into his sessions.

"He welcomed and encouraged more generations of musicians that he would ever take credit for," they continued. "His contribution to maintaining and promoting Irish culture and tradition is immeasurable. He carried great tunes, songs and stories, passing them on to future generations ensuring their survival. The hole that is left in his absence can never be filled."

Ispíní na hÉireann go on to refer to O'Grady as: "our chieftain, our hero, and our friend."

"He always had a spot for us in his sessions and greeted us with a smile," they resumed. "When everyone thought we were terrible, because we were, Mick saw something in us and encouraged us to keep at it. This is a terribly sad loss, and he will be missed more than he could ever have imagined. Where ever he is now, he's puttin' up mould. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal."

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On Instagram, John Francis Flynn – who was named both Best Emerging Artist and Best Folk Singer at the 2021 RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards – noted that O'Grady's passing is "a huge loss to the Irish music community in Dublin", and described the singer and fiddler as "an inspiration to so many of us."

Watch Mick O'Grady performing at The Cobblestone: