Ardee planning a statue of GAA great
BID BEING MADE TO FORMALLY HONOUR DERMOT O’BRIEN IN HIS HOME TOWN
FUNDING streams are to be considered in relation to erecting a life-size bronze statue of Ardee’s most famous son, Dermot O’Brien, in the town.
One such area is Public Art, where a percentage from a development - such as the Ardee bypass - goes towards a project.
Joe McGuinness from Louth CC told the Ardee area meeting that a policy was being drawn up and more information should be available shortly.
However, councillors overwhelmingly supported the idea, raised by Cllr Hugh Conlon.
In an impassioned motion calling for the Mid Louth and Ardee man to be honoured, he said in the 1960s, ‘ The Merry Ploughboy’ was so popular and there was a race to see who got it recorded first of all.
‘Dermot O’Brien and the
Clubmen got there first, and it went straight to No. 1 on the Irish Charts for ten weeks. The Band consisted of Lillian Campbell Vocals , Timmy Regan Guitar, Eamon Campbell Guitar, Johnny Barton on Drums, Denis O’Loughlin on Sax and Willie Healy on Trumpet. For a Band from County Louth to make it to the top of the charts was a really big deal,’ he stated. Later, The Turfman from Ardee’ proved a classic.
‘He was a wonderful Ambassador for his town and country and indeed the Irish language right throughout his lifetime,’ he stated.
He told tales of being in all parts of Ireland and when Louth was mentioned, Dermot O’Brien was first up.
‘ The fact that he had an All Ireland Gaelic Football Medal from the 1957 also helped to tick all the boxes for the rural people of this country and made him an absolute superstar in their eyes. Similar to Joe Dolan being a Westmeath man and Big Tom being from Monaghan along with Waterford’s Brendan Bower , Dermot O Brien was a Louth man from Ardee on the ballroom stages of Ireland and abroad.’
He later listened to Dermot in the Bohemian Centre, ‘ We used to marvel at his ability to pick out the bass notes from over one hundred buttons and meanwhile play the melody with such style. Along with a flick of the Timbre Switches, transforming the sound into what seemed like an entire orchestra, whilst his eyes all the time surveyed the audience for their reaction.’
Cllr Dolores Minogue backed the motion, saying every town had a hero and Dermot was their local one. Cllr Jim Tenanty said he got to know him when he became ill and he was happy to see the room in the civic offices named after him. He suggested a Commemoration Organisation to forward the project.
‘We should look at getting this done,’ Cllr Pearse McGeough added, something backed by Cllr John Sheridan.