Barrtalk: The brightness of Seoirse Ó Dochartaigh will endure

Seoirse Ó Dochartaigh, who has passed away following a long illness, was a colossus of the local arts, music and historical literature scene.

An indomitable conjurer of magic with his pen, guitar or paintbrush, Ó Dochartaigh lived and died at his beloved Mossyglen, Moville, not far from Kinnego Bay in North Inishowen.

He was immensely proud of his Inishowen roots and loved living here these past twenty years or so; he has left an indelible mark on the place and its people.

Since his death, many have written of his remarkable contribution to the Irish language, culture, heritage and the arts, and how his legacy will continue to inspire for generations.

All that is certainly true. But, more importantly than that, he was one of the kindest and most welcoming men you could ever wish to meet. He had an obvious joy for life and everything it offered.

Seoirse was one of those rare people who it was always a joy to bump into. Even if you hadn’t seen him for a year or more, the conversation would instantly flow, as he beamed about his latest artistic project or other.

I first became aware of him when he was exhibiting a series of absolutely stunning original artworks based on the masterful lyrics of Leonard Cohen at Fort Dunree almost twenty years ago. Like me, he was a huge fan of Cohen.

Ever since then, Seoirse kept me updated with his latest works, including new albums of song and umpteen important books of historical record.

I often referred to him in the Inishowen Independent newspaper as one of our most prolific authors. There seemed never to be a time when he wasn’t working on something. He had an unyielding drive to create.

His ‘Place-Names of Inishowen’ book from 2011 stands as one of his greatest legacies and greatest gifts to this area. Documenting the meaning of and stories behind thousands of townlands, headlands, rivers and valleys, it is an exhaustive local encyclopedia, which has become the standard reference text for anyone interested in Inishowen.

I still refer to the book at least once a week and will always be grateful to its writer.

Ó Dochartaigh remained relentlessly creative despite his illness. His latest book – a ‘Blue Murder’ crime caper set in Inishowen more than one hundred years ago – was only launched at Moville Library last month.

He was always a strong and consistent supporter of the Moville Library, and was among those to speak up publicly to save it when the Council attempted to wind it down under the cover of covid a few years back.

His passion for his native Irish language was unstinting too, and he published a weekly column in the Inishowen Independent newspaper explaining the Gaelic place-names of Inishowen, which I always enjoyed reading.

Inishowen is a few shades darker since his passing, but the colourful memories, music, art and brightness of Seoirse Ó Dochartaigh will endure.

“Ring the bells that still can ring; Forget your perfect offering; There is a crack, a crack in everything; That's how the light gets in”

Mani played the soundtrack to our younger lives

“I can feel the earth begin to move; I hear my needle hit the groove.”

The death of Gary ‘Mani’ Mountfield (above), the legendary Manchester-Irish bass player, came as an unwelcome bolt from the blue.

I saw Mani exactly five times in my life. Four of those were on stage with The Stone Roses, the first – and last – band I was ever utterly obsessed with.

I first saw him at the now long-defunct Feile festival at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork in the summer of 1995, when he strutted onto the stage to play the opening bars of ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ as the hair stood up on the back of 70,000 adoring necks.

I followed the band to the Reading Festival the following summer.

I saw Mani once at Old Trafford too. I did a double-take as he brushed past me in the bowels of the Stetford End stand before kick-off. He was probably on his way for a sneaky fag in the toilets. No one bothered him, so I didn’t either. He was a lifelong United fan like me, and we were there to watch our team.

I’ll always remember the match when I clocked him too. It was an early kick-off for the Manchester derby in February 2011, when Rooney scored THAT goal [typically at the other end]. I was already buzzing from seeing Mani – who always seemed like the most likeable of the Roses – and Rooney’s overhead acrobatics only further cemented the day in my memory.

I was in Heaton Park in Manchester for the Stone Roses reunion the following year, when it seemed like a million people gathered to pay homage.

The last time I saw him was at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast with the band in June 2017. The closing song then was ‘I am the Resurrection’, which has to be one of the greatest bass lines ever written or played, as it segues from an indie stadium anthem into swirling ‘Madchester’ dance loops that you never want to end.

The Guardian newspaper wrote of how Mani’s “writhing, relentless bass was the Stone Roses' secret sauce – it taught indie kids how to dance”.

Most tragically, Mani’s death comes just two years after the death of his wife Imelda from cancer, and the couple leave behind twelve-year-old twin sons, who are now orphaned.

Gary ‘Mani’ Mountfield also leaves behind some of the greatest music ever created: pure [Fools] gold on the bass, ‘I Wanna Be Adored’, ‘She Bangs the Drums’ and ‘Made of Stone’, the soundtrack to all our younger lives, when we thought we’d live forever.

Thanks for everything, Mani.