I thought this might be a good place to relate the news of my mother's death. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on 14th May.

I'm not sure if anyone reading this will have known her or who she was, but she was a great Irish traditional singer with a wealth of songs to go with her outstanding voice. She made a record many years ago now for Sean McCarthy, but beyond that she sung songs from her native Limerick and from all over the country.

These last few years she had been suffering from ill health and had pretty much stopped singing except maybe late at night when the odd verse could be coaxed from her. I knew her of course as my mother, but some of you who'll read this in Ireland or the U.K. might remember her as a singer in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Anyway, God rest her.