Song written in memory of Greenvale victim reduced us to tears, say parents
THE father of a 16-year-old schoolboy who lost his life in the Greenvale Hotel tragedy has told how he and his wife broke down and cried when they first heard a new song written in memory of their late son.
Connor Currie, from Edendork, Co Tyrone, died along with Lauren Bullock and Morgan Barnard, who were both aged 17, in a crush outside the popular Cookstown venue on St Patrick’s Day two years ago.
Parents Eamon and Ciara asked local musician Gerry Cunningham to pen a tribute song in Connor’s memory, which, in a poignant gesture, was released on Sunday — Mother’s Day — along with a video.
Proceeds from the song will go towards a charity which supports bereaved parents.
Speaking publicly for the first time ahead of the second anniversary of the tragedy, Eamon said the emotional composition, called ‘A Song for Connor’, reduced him and Ciara to tears during the first listen.
“It was almost as if Connor was back with us,” he said.
“The song draws you in and then, come the end, you get a real sucker punch. Combined with the video, it brought it all home to us. It’s so powerful.
“Ciara was in floods of tears but she absolutely loved it. I fell in love with it too. It captured Connor completely. He was a typical lad, living life to the full.”
Mr Currie added: “It’s absolutely crazy to think that it’s two years since we lost him.”
The haunting lyrics tell the story of what happened to the three teenagers that fateful Sunday night.
“Standing in a circle in the rain,” it begins.
“Tears are lost in eyes that feel the pain. Wondering where this all went wrong.
“There wasn’t meant to be a song for you, my friend. We’ll meet again.”
A rolling montage in the video features various images of Connor, finally fading out with: “I’ll take you to a dance, if I ever get that chance, I’ll take you to a dance one more time.”
It ends with Connor smiling and winking at the camera.
“The final version of the song really blew us away and the video just tore us to bits,” admitted Eamon.
The joiner recalled how he conceived of the idea of commissioning a song back in August 2018.
“About five months after the tragedy, I was driving to work and I wrote a poem for Connor in my head,” said 47-year-old Eamon.
“Then I thought it would be good for the family if we got a song written for him, and Ciara thought this would be a great way to remember Connor.
“As time progressed, I wanted to do something to remember Connor and to raise money for Anam Cara, which supports parents after bereavement.
“It’s a great organisation and, like a lot of charities, they’re struggling as a result of Covid,” the father-of-four said.
“People who need their support can’t physically meet in groups because of the virus, which is a shame.
“Anam Cara was a great help to Ciara. She found great solace in going to them. It gave Ciara great strength. I was due to go to a meeting but then Covid kicked in and couldn’t. That’s why we wanted to do something to help raise money for them.”
Eamon, who has three younger sons — Sean (14), Cormac (10) and Cahir (7) — with homemaker Ciara (45) said he told Gerry, a family friend, what they would like and the 64-year-old singer-songwriter delivered.
“Gerry produced the whole video as well. He’s a very talented man,” said Eamon, who added that Connor’s brothers have reacted positively to the tribute, though it has been harder for Sean.
“Sean and Connor were very close, so he struggles a bit with it all,” he admitted.
“But the other two love it, especially when they see themselves in a video clip.”
He said he also hoped the song would strike a chord with Connor’s friends at St Patrick’s Academy, who were “absolutely brilliant” at the way they handled the tragedy.
“They gave us strength when we needed it most,” he said.
“They were ringing us all the time. They were amazing, and so were his pals at Edendork GAC.”
‘Losing a child is very hard. Every day throws up its own wee hurdles’
The song and video were officially released on March 14 to mark two years since the three young people perished at Greenvale.
“It was, however, particularly hard for Ciara, falling as it did on Mother’s Day,” said Eamon.
“Losing a child is very hard. You never get over something like that. Every day throws up its own wee hurdles.”
Last May, PSNI officers investigating the Greenvale Hotel tragedy sent an interim file containing “a substantial amount of material” to prosecutors.
A spokesperson said police were continuing to work on the investigation which he said “is one of the largest undertaken by the PSNI”.
The song can be purchased on Facebook or Instagram. Over £2,000 has been raised for the charity so far.