Singer-songwriter Mickey MacConnell dies aged 78
MacConnell described himself as having been born during the 'unparalleled snowstorms of 1947″ into a musical family from Bellanaleck, near Enniskillen in
Co Fermanagh
.
He wrote his most famous song, Only Our Rivers Run Free, as a teenager. A lament for the partition of Ireland, it has been covered by
Christy Moore
and
The Wolfe Tones
, among others.
'It was a classic example of the right song in the right place at the right time, recorded by the right artist, Christy Moore,' MacConnell said years later.
READ MORE
'I was 17 when I wrote it and had just come back from covering a council meeting for the local paper in my native south Fermanagh full of frustration over the bigotry I witnessed in the meeting, with the allocation of houses to single Protestants over Catholic families. It was never a republican song per se but a song about the love of one's country.'
MacConnell went on to release two albums, Peter Pan and Me in 1992 and Joined Up Writing in 2000. The Politician Song, which was on his first album, is a satirical look at the language used by politicians.
His close friend Billy Keane described him as one of the finest and most courageous singers of his generation.
As a journalist, MacConnell worked first for the Irish Press and later for The Irish Times. He spent many years covering Seanad debates and likened its importance to a 'fart in a hurricane'.
'When working as a journalist in Dublin I was forced to endure many painful hours reporting in the national parliament,' he wrote in the sleeve notes to The Politician Song.
'In those days I had a very good Pitman's shorthand note, and I began to notice how many cliches kept coming up again and again. I gathered them together and wrote this song.'
Mickey, Cormac and Cathal Mac Connell at the funeral of their brother, Seán Mac Connell, at the Church of the Divine Word, Rathfarnham. Photograph: Frank Miller
He was one of three brothers who worked in the national media: his late brother Seán was The Irish Times' agriculture correspondent; and his brother Cormac worked for the Irish Press and Irish Central, among other publications.
MacConnell, who had lived in Listowel, Co Kerry, for many years, is survived by his wife, Maura, daughters Kerry and Claire, a son-in-law, Paddy, and three grandchildren.
Seán MacConnell, who was The Irish Times' agriculture correspondent for nearly 20 years, predeceased him in 2013. Cormac MacConnell is also an acclaimed songwriter, having written the song Christmas in the Trenches 1914, which Mickey featured on his Joined Up Writing album.
Mickey MacConnell will be reposing at Lyons Funeral Home, Derry, Listowel, on Saturday evening, July 5th, from 5pm to 7.30pm.
The removal to Shannon Crematorium takes place on Sunday with a cremation service at 12pm.
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