Ballyhooly student dies tragically in US
STELLAR LINE-UP OF ARTISTS SET TO PLAY SEAN DONELLAN TRIBUTE GIGS
THE body of the Ballyhooly student who lost his life following a tragic accident in the US is set arrive home over the coming days ahead of his funeral next week.
It is understood that Philip Leahy went into cardiac arrest after he got into difficulties while swimming with friends in the sea at a beach in Ocean City, Maryland last Wednesday.
Following the incident the 22-year-old was placed on life support, while family members kept a vigil by his bedside in Atlanta General Hospital.
However, Philip passed away late on Sunday evening, with news of his death leaving his tightly-knight community grieving for the popular young man.
That community came together to offer up prayers for Philip and express their support for his family on Tuesday evening at a vigil and service in the local parish church.
“The large congregation was indicative of just how popular Philip was and the huge respect in which the Leahy family is held locally ,” said Fr Donal Broderick. “The whole community is simply staggered at what has happened”
SOME of the top names in the Irish country music scene are set to take to the stage of the Hazel Tree in Mallow to pay tribute to one of the genre’s most celebrated supporters..
For almost three decades Sean Donellan had hosted his hugely popular night-time show on Cork’s C103 FM, garnering a huge following among music fans and the respect of the many artists he had championed over the years.
However, in May the station introduced changes to its programming schedules which meant that Sean’s Country and Irish show was moved from its nightly 7-11pm slot to a four hour slot on Sundays, a move that Sean’s son Michael said had been met with “bitter disappointment” by his loyal listeners.
The move was also questioned by a number of wellknown Irish music stars, including Nathan Carter who expressed his personal disappointment at the decision in his weekly Sunday World column.
“I was sad to hear the news that Sean is losing show on the station. Fans and country artists are really going to miss his nightly shows. I’ve met Sean many times and he has been a massive support to everyone in the business. It’s hard to believe that a province of Ireland renowned for its love of country music is losing such a great show,” he wrote.
Speaking to The Corkman Michael said that although his father was still active on C103 with his Sunday show, he had been inundated with requests by many musicians and loyal fans who wanted to do something for Sean to show their heartfelt appreciation for all that he has done for them.
“Sean has started and promoted scores of musicians too numerous to mention or has simply been a companion to thousands of people across Cork and, via the internet, to fans across the world,” said Michael.
He said that such was the interest in marking Sean’s 28-years at the helm of his show a committee was formed to organise a tribute concert to his father.
“We quickly discovered that with so many musicians wanting to play in his honour one night would not be enough so we have organised two concerts, the first one for the Irish touring showbands and the other for the social dancing fraternity,” said Michael.
“Myself, John Russell, Eta Cahill and George O’Dwyer held a number of meetings, finalising the concerts and putting together a stellar lineup of artists who, to use an old phrase from the showband era, ‘will send ‘em home sweatin’”.
The first concert will take place next Tuesday night with a line-up that will include Michael English, Paddy O’Brien, Art Supple, Louise Morrissey, Patrick O’Sullivan and The Ryan Turner band among others.
The second concert will take place on Monday, August 28 and will feature artists including TR Dallas, Michael Collins, Peter Burke, Sam O’Doherty, Pat Daly and Dave Rea.
Both concerts will run from 8.30pm - 12.30am at the Hazel Tree, with admission costing €15 for the first night and €10 for the second concert at the door.
“Given the artists playing these promise to be great nights of entertainment not to be missed,” said Michael.
“They will also give people the opportunity to say a huge ‘ thank you’ to Sean in person for the help he has given and the many wonderful memories that he has created over the years.”